Blogging can be a great way to attract and engage customers and communicate your brand; but say the word to a lot of small business owners, and you’ll find yourself talking to the hand. For some, it’s a tech thing, and building and managing the administrative end of a blog (OMG, there’s code in there!) is a problem in itself. For others, the prospect of putting themselves out there in writing just isn’t a comfortable idea.  Some people just aren’t sure exactly what benefits a blog can have, so why invest the time?  But here’s some encouraging news: it is possible to create and manage a blog with just a little inspiration and very little technical know-how, that’s actually worth your while.

Point of Fact #1:  The vast majority of those slick-looking blogs that you see out there weren’t built from scratch and didn’t require much expertise or expense.  They were created using one of the more popular (mostly free) blogging platforms available on the web. These applications—including WordPress, TypePad, and Google’s popular platform, Blogger—will take you step-by-step through the creative, letting you point and click your way through a menu of available formats (themes) to decide how your blog will look, then easily customize the various elements of the theme (header/title, sidebar, links, main content blocks, images, etc.).  With time, some experimentation, and a little self-education, you’ll get more familiar and comfortable with the creative/management end (the “dashboard”), and find that you can make more customized adjustments to your blog’s layout, including changing out images, colors, headers, and more; and add custom elements (sometimes called “widgets”) that perform specialized functions like displaying your Twitter feed in a sidebar, scrolling testimonials, a photo gallery, and more.  But it’s important to know that a blog’s quality isn’t determined by the number or widgets you can cram onto the page.  Even if the old adage that “Content Is King” were to die in relation to every other form of expression on the web, when it comes to blogs, it will always be fundamentally true.

Point of Fact #2:  You don’t have to be Shakespeare.  If you have any doubts, take a minute now to visit www.WordPress.com, www.Blogger.com, and www.TypePad.com and start clicking around.  You’ll see blogs of all shapes and sizes and levels of literary capability; and you’ll very quickly realize that pretty much everybody these days has a blog, and if they can do it, you can, too!  (You’ll also realize that there are way too many people out there who think it’s a great idea to put a cat in a dress, but that’s a topic for another day).  Here’s what you need to know about composing for a blog—and about writing pretty much anything, when you get down to it:  write what you know and the words will flow.  If you’re at all good at what you do, then you know your customers and prospects fairly well.  You’re familiar with their questions and their needs.  You know exactly what you have to offer and how to communicate that to them in a way they can understand.  Fall back on those real-world skills and channel them into blog entries that say it like you’d speak it, and you’ll be more than halfway to blogging success.  For a fabulous example of all of the above, visit http://sethgodin.typepad.com/.

Point of Fact #3:  When it comes to blogs, success is a seriously subjective thing, and it’s admittedly more than possible to totally waste your time.  As with every other business effort, it’s important to have a plan that states what you hope to accomplish, delineates how you plan to get there, and identifies all the appropriate measures of success.  If you want to get the word out about your products and services, then you’re shooting for high stats so focus on all the available opportunities to pull in more eyeballs by promoting your blog URL everywhere you can, and make sure you have tools in place to measure the visits you get. If you’re looking to boost brand loyalty, then focus on ongoing ideas like special rewards and “how to use our product better” features that focus on developing continuing relationships with the people who’ll visit your blog.  I’ve had more than one person tell me they blog simply to get the ideas out of their head and into a place that helps them analyze things more objectively, which is a completely worthy goal in itself.  The target here is incredibly broad, so just enter into the endeavor with your own idea of success as fully formed as possible if you care about making the most of your effort and time.

And finally, Point of Fact #4:  There are so many more possibilities in blogging than we could ever fit into one article, so if you want the whole scoop on building a blog, make sure your plan for our next #OptSum event includes Scott Ellis’ workshop on WordPress 101: Build a Website in 4 Hours; and if you’re ready to go beyond the fundamentals, don’t miss Jason Falls’ workshop on Practical SEO for Corporate Blogs, and Mike Merrill’s workshop on Social Media ROI in the Real World just to name a few.  We’ll see you there!

Jason Falls – Social Media – Public Speaker – Educator – Speaking Video from Jason Falls on Vimeo.

By Pam Lontos

NOTE: Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that works with speakers, authors and experts. She is the author of “I See Your Name Everywhere” and is a former vice president for Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting.

If you haven’t gotten on the Social Media Marketing (SMM) bandwagon yet because you think it’s just a fad with no real bottom line benefit, think again. One professional speaker has been using SMM for less than six months and has received two book contracts with mainstream publishers, has contracted four full-fee speaking engagements, has secured a keynote for a large international convention, has been contracted for a monthly column in a large distribution magazine, has received a consulting deal in a new niche market, and has contracted with two foreign governments for consulting services … all because of social media marketing.

“But that’s just a fluke,” you may say. Not so … the fact is for those who do SMM regularly, these kind of results are more common than you’d think!

If you’re ready to receive some serious benefits from your SMM campaign, adhere to the following dos and don’ts.

·Don’t be unpredictable.
You want people to know that they’re going to get a message from you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (or whatever days you decide). So pick a distribution schedule and stick with it. If necessary, put reminders in your calendar so you remember to post your microblogs on those days.

·Don’t abandon your traditional PR.
Don’t assume that you can abandon everything outside of the social media marketing realm once you start having some success. SMM is just one part of the funnel that brings people to your product funnel. It’s a useful and cheap part, but you also need the credibility and marketing from other traditional publicity tools, such as print publicity, radio interviews and television appearances.  In addition, some online reputation sites will give you a lower ranking if you don’t have anything in the “real world.” Just remember, you still need media exposure and a physical presence, in addition to your online presence. Acclaimed financial expert Suze Orman is at the top of her game because you see her name everywhere – she’s interviewed in magazines and newspapers, is seen on TV and heard over the radio. That’s why so many of us rely on her advice; she is seen as the financial expert because she is all over the media. So, be sure to keep getting publicity in print and other traditional media, in addition to generating attention with SMM.

·Don’t be negative.
Unless your image or brand has something to do with complaining, don’t do it. Only complain if complaining is what you’re known for. It’s better to give positive reinforcement in your microblogs because people are bombarded with negative messages every day. You don’t want your message to be lost among the other negative ones. You want to be the one positive thing in people’s day. You want them to look forward to the next time they get your message.

·Do follow the right format for your microblogs.
Be sure that your micro-blogs include helpful advice, insightful tips or unique trends that your followers will learn from; this kind of information will grab their attention and make them want more. Each microblog should be 140 characters, including punctuation and spacing, in addition to your Web site link at the end. The more helpful and unique your messages are, the more interest you will generate, thus bringing more people back to your site.

·Do “funnel” your SMM contacts to your Web site.
The goal of your microblogs is not only to reach your target audience and help them solve their problems, but also to drive them back to your Web site to sell your products or services. That’s why it’s so important to include your Web site at the end of your microblog message. So, when your readers want more information or want to buy your products and services, they can go directly to the source: you!

·Do have a place to collect all your postings.
Anytime you do a post on Twitter, Facebook or any of the other SMM sites, you’re really creating a microblog. You need a place where your microblogs collect. Twitter provides that service, but if you use theirs you’re giving them all the traffic. Rather, have your microblogs collect on your own blog.
Then you can have your long posts there, as well as your shorter microblogs.

·Do devote enough time to your SMM campaign.
Individuals who are successful with SMM spend an average of five to seven hours per week developing and working within their network. If you can write your microblogs quickly you won’t add too much time.  Remember, it’s not always about the number of contacts you collect, but rather having the “right” contacts and reaching your target audience.

·Do make sure your profile is 100 percent complete.
You won’t get ranked in the social media searches unless your profile is 100 percent complete. Realize that a photo for your profile accounts for 20-40 percent of your ranking, so if you don’t include a picture, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Therefore, the biggest profile factor after your name and e-mail address is your photo. And by the way, logos don’t count as a photo, even if your logo includes a picture of a face. The bottom line is if you want your message to spread through the Internet, make sure your profile is complete.

Get Famous with SMM
Social Media Marketing is a vital addition to any PR campaign. When you follow these simple dos and don’ts, you’ll get people following your every move, which will lead to more customers and higher sales – the exact payoff every business needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm that works with speakers, authors and experts. She is the author of “I See Your Name Everywhere” and is a former vice president for Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting. PR/PR has placed clients in publications such as USA Today, Entrepreneur, Time, Reader’s Digest, and Cosmopolitan. PR/PR works with established speakers, as well as those just launching their careers. For a free consultation, e-mail Pam@prpr.net or call 407-299-6128. To receive free publicity tips, go to www.PRPR.net and register for the monthly e-newsletter, PR/PR Pulse!

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.

Jason Falls Social Media Explorer is the online home and blog of Social Media Explorer LLC, which is my consulting company. I’ve been called all sorts of things by folks around the social media, public relations, marketing and communications industries. I shy away from self-aggrandizement, but you’ll find some quotes about me from others below.

I see myself as a social media educator, a social media strategist and a public relations professional. I help companies understand the social web and show them how engaging consumers online can help their business. I’m also a writer, both of blogs and other materials, and try to spend much of my spare time doing that.

If I have a unique perspective it would be the result of having lead a national advertising agency’s Interactive and social media efforts, working with Fortune 100 brands as a social media strategist and serving as an independent consultant in the social media industry. I have advised major, regional and niche brands including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, Humana, Purely Products, SHPS, Sun Tan City, Mighty Dog, Louisville Slugger, Bionic Gloves, The National Center for Family Literacy and WeSeed.com.

My work has resulted in social media executions deemed “innovative” and industry firsts, particularly in the spirits industry. One project I was involved in won a 2009 Sammy Award, the main honors given to work in social media. Paul Gillin, Tamar Weinberg and Kyle Lacy have written about my work in books, which is really flattering.

Perhaps the most fun I have is speaking and conducting seminars for conferences, groups and even private corporate events. I’ve spoken in three countries and on two continents, unless you count my late night soliloquies at the hotel bar in Cancun on vacation.

SocialMediaExplorer.com, the blog, gets a fair amount of recognition, of which I’m very grateful. The most notable of which is probably listing in the top 20 or so (it changes daily sometimes) of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. For a few weeks in 2009, I was actually ranked No. 1. (Not sure why.)

I maintain a handful of professional affiliations and memberships, including serving as president and co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. I am also a member of the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and Greater Louisville Inc., (the Louisville Chamber of Commerce).

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, OptimizationSsummits, Social media, Social media ROI, Social-media-marketing, Social-media-strategy

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

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 topics on  Social Media marketing, management and training , 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

Dallas Optimization Summits Workshop  Leader Mark Roberge is the Vice President of  Sales at  HubSpot.

He will be leading, Achieving Measurable Results with Advanced Business Blogging

Creating content is one of the most successful inbound marketing strategies a company can use to get found by prospects online, and one of the best ways to do this is through business blogging.  As a corporate blog is a central place for customers, prospects and like-minded individuals to share ideas, discuss trends, and present a vision, it ultimately reinforces a company’s image and brand as a thought-leader and visionary in its industry.  This workshop will teach attendees how to how to turn their blog into a powerful business tool that will engage customers in a conversation while also improving search engine rankings.  Attendees will learn how to create a business blog that will pull in the right prospects, reach their Internet marketing goals without breaking the bank, and attract loyal customers through comprehensive SEO techniques and other inbound marketing methodologies.

Specifically, attendees will walk away from the workshop with an understanding of:
·    The tactics for building a brand loyalty program through a business blog
·    How to create top-notch, keyword-rich content
·    How to use a blog to generate leads and sales for their business
·    SEO techniques to increase awareness for a corporate blog
·    How to build your blog’s subscription base
·    Comprehensive methodologies on how to write a quick and effective blog article
·    Simple tips and tricks to promote a blog
·    How to measure the performance of your blog

Mark Roberge, VP Sales, HubSpot

Mark Roberge is VP Sales at HubSpot, an Internet marketing software company based in Cambridge, MA.  He oversees HubSpot’s entire sales function, having grown the department to 40+ sales reps and approximately 2,000 customers in just over two years.  Prior to HubSpot, Mark founded and held executive positions in startups in the social media and mobile sectors.   Mark started his career as a technology consultant with Accenture.

Mark holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management where he was a semi-finalist in the 2005 MIT $50K Business Plan competition and was awarded the Patrick McGovern award for his contributions to entrepreneurship at MIT.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.  Mark has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and other major publications for his entrepreneurial ventures.

Mark is a regular speaker at MIT and various industry conferences on the topics of inbound marketing and sales 2.0.

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

Jason Falls Social Media Explorer is the online home and blog of Social Media Explorer LLC, which is my consulting company. I’ve been called all sorts of things by folks around the social media, public relations, marketing and communications industries. I shy away from self-aggrandizement, but you’ll find some quotes about me from others below.

I see myself as a social media educator, a social media strategist and a public relations professional. I help companies understand the social web and show them how engaging consumers online can help their business. I’m also a writer, both of blogs and other materials, and try to spend much of my spare time doing that.

If I have a unique perspective it would be the result of having lead a national advertising agency’s Interactive and social media efforts, working with Fortune 100 brands as a social media strategist and serving as an independent consultant in the social media industry. I have advised major, regional and niche brands including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, Humana, Purely Products, SHPS, Sun Tan City, Mighty Dog, Louisville Slugger, Bionic Gloves, The National Center for Family Literacy and WeSeed.com.

My work has resulted in social media executions deemed “innovative” and industry firsts, particularly in the spirits industry. One project I was involved in won a 2009 Sammy Award, the main honors given to work in social media. Paul Gillin, Tamar Weinberg and Kyle Lacy have written about my work in books, which is really flattering.

Perhaps the most fun I have is speaking and conducting seminars for conferences, groups and even private corporate events. I’ve spoken in three countries and on two continents, unless you count my late night soliloquies at the hotel bar in Cancun on vacation.

SocialMediaExplorer.com, the blog, gets a fair amount of recognition, of which I’m very grateful. The most notable of which is probably listing in the top 20 or so (it changes daily sometimes) of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. For a few weeks in 2009, I was actually ranked No. 1. (Not sure why.)

I maintain a handful of professional affiliations and memberships, including serving as president and co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. I am also a member of the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and Greater Louisville Inc., (the Louisville Chamber of Commerce).

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, OptimizationSsummits, Social media, Social media ROI, Social-media-marketing, Social-media-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

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

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