Biznology

If you want to build your brand online circa 2013 from scratch, you need to kiss your own personal shame on the lips through the protective glass that is the line in the sand that you and your employer have decided are grounds for termination. What do I mean? “Goose, it’s time to buzz the tower.” And if you’re not willing to publically buzz the tower — to really set the windows rattling and maybe put some coffee down the captain’s shirtfront — you’ll never be able to differentiate yourself from all the other people who are hitting all the same points with the same tone. Read the remainder of this entry »

Photo credit: trixie

Does allowing third-party content on your site make you nervous? While most small business owners are hesitant to let outsiders write their material, they are missing out on some opportunities for company growth without third-party help. Take a look at some common concerns, and suggestions for overcoming them, when it comes to third-party content.

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If you read your local newspaper or a typical magazine, you’ll realize that most journalism is specialized. You have your columns, reporting, reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, and ombudsman; however, most companies don’t have the volume, diversity, or constancy of news required to need such staffing.

That said, enough does go on each and every day in your office, amongst your staff, in your business, in your industry, with you and your very own personal brand that you need to cover the entire newsroom on your own, including the advertising and publicity (because like the news, everything comes down to driving revenue, and if you can’t prove that all the time, energy, and resources you’re spending online aren’t feeding sales, your one-man-social-media-band is not long for this world.)

Let me break it down.

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Photo credit: C. G. P. Grey

Though traditionally online and offline experiences are frequently juxtaposed, they work perfectly together. Your customers hang out online but they didn’t turn into robots, so the offline part of your interactions is a must. Online and offline are not foes – they’re friends that are mutually supportive.  Want to know why? Read the remainder of this entry »

I have been thinking about the posts of the most successful bloggers and social media sharers and I believe one of the things they all have in common is that they reveal of themselves just a little more openly and intimately than anyone else with a marketing agenda and a lot to lose. There’s a fine line between taking your friends, followers, fans, and audience on a beautiful and compelling narrative ride and over-sharing, but even over-sharing verging on TMI has been better for the most successful social media artists and content marketers. Read the remainder of this entry »