Don’t Whore Yourself When Linking. That’s Dirty.
I am an avid reader and fan of Alexander Van Elsa’s blog on new media. He wrote a post yesterday about the failing “linking economy” on the web. The post entitled: The Linking Economy Fails because Social Currency Became Financial Currency is a great look into the concept of internal linking. There have been quite a few blog posts pertaining to the over-the-top linking strategy of some major blogs. In his post Alexander makes reference to some major blogs by saying:
It is also a system that breaks down easily, especially if you in some way or another monetize your site. That is why all of the big blogs seldomly link to external sites. TechChrunch, CNET, they all love to link to themselves. The motive is pure financial, and has nothing to do with content, trust, or any other factor.
I will be completely honest when I say, it is hard for me to care that much about TechCrunch and CNet. They have already positioned themselves as quasi-industry content leaders. Does it really matter that they are internally linking?
I think this is a lesson for all the smaller blog contingencies out there. When you are posting content about a specific topic try to link to sources that you find valuable. It is extremely apparent to everyone when the only links in a blog post are internal links. Get over yourself.
I am not going to sit her and say I have NEVER internally linked to a post that a reader may find valuable. There is a fine line to draw when internally linking and outwardly linking. If you have five links in your blog post and they ALL travel back to you…you are an internal link addict.
Go to an ILAA (internally linking addict anonymous) because you are ruining your credibility on the the open market. And if the only thing you care about is a greater google page or search ranking….pack up your crap skippy.
Take the train home because I firmly believe genuine content will always win.
3 Reasons Why Search and Authenticity Should Be Important to Corporate America
I was skimming through Chris Brogan’s posts and happened across a post called: A Counterpoint to the Branding Craze. This caught my attention because I am a huge advocate for branding, both personal and professional.
I have tried to use my blog to create a brand identity for myself and my company and it has been successful in more ways than one. In his post Chris talks about the concept of search being involved in the corporate strategy of most companies:
One of the reasons that I advocate content marketing, such as writing a compelling group blog, is that it’s an opportunity to build search equity. Writing about things that people might search for is a great way to find some new people at your door who might want a look at your product.
Content marketing should be in the corporate strategy plans of every business in America. There are a couple of reasons why I am strongly urge clients and businesses to dive into the realm of content marketing:
1. The Search
By blogging and writing about things that “people may search for,” you are creating a website (blog) that will hit the search engines with enthusiasm. When you have a site where content is changing regularly and you are writing about issues/services that people find important, you will find an increase in visitors to your site.
2. Authenticity and Personality
Consumers today want social media authenticity and personality behind a company. If you are a stoned face corporation sitting in a corporate park somewhere and are NOT listening to your customers needs and wants: YOU WILL FAIL. By blogging and creating an area for dialouge you are telling your customers: I trust you. I want to hear what you have to say. This goes for both big business and small business.
3. Brand Identity and Value
People want to connect with brands on a level that has become as personal as a relationships between two people. A blog/content marketing allows you to start the romantic courtship of a consumer. This courtship can turn into a seasoned consumer that will spread your good message across the valleys and streams. Maybe even through their email. 
There are a multitude of reasons to start a blog and create a space where content marketing is king. Read more of Chris Brogan’s posts if you get the chance. He is a genius at laying out what it takes to create great, authentic content.
Also, if you are interested in starting a corporate blog I would suggest checking in with Compendium Blogware. They have a blogging tool that allows for AWESOME search results.
Economic Downturn? Now Is The Time To Innovate!
I recently posted a video on my other blog about the concept of revamping a static site into a website that can be changed and monitored. The economy is sharply declining and the status of small businesses are hanging in the balance because of the lending crunch. Money is hard to come by and it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet payroll without a credit line to back up the lack of cash rolling into a business.
As a business owner you may be asking yourself, “When is the best time to start innovating the way I do business? When is the right time to switch up and try something new?” I am in the same boat as an owner of a social media marketing firm in Indianapolis. As a small business owner of you can get bogged down with daily routines and projects (external influences) that keep you from focusing (at least a bit) into the internal processes of your company.
When is the time to switch up and think differently? NOW. Matt Rhodes at Freshnetworks recently wrote a post entitled Innovate through a downturn, but make it customer led. He gives a few ideas on how a business owner can innovate and take control of their companies to make it through the downturn.
Some thoughts from Matt:
- Make sure you are close to your customers and that they are close to you. It should be your brand they think about when they do want to make a purchase and you should be aware of what they think and how their habits are changing.
- Innovate to stay ahead of the game. A crisis is a great time to innovate – you have to think of ways of staying ahead of the competition, of being more efficient or of new products that you can offer. It’s true of war-time, where many of the best innovations (from the pie-chart to nylon) originate; and it’s true of business during challenging economic times.
It was exactly the medicine I needed as a business owner to think a little differently when going about my daily routine.
You cannot be afraid of a declining economy. Fear turns into miscalculation which can morph into a disease that spread throughout your company and ruins productivity.
So how do you become innovative in your thinking and switch up the way you have been doing business? How do you create something that can be a vehicle to drive new business into your company? New business means an increase in cash flow (we hope) which can take your mind off the credit line that is slowly dissapating.
Answer: Crowd Source your current customers. Talk to your current customers and ask if there is anything you can do BETTER for them. Lorraine Ball at Roundpeg wrote a post yesterday about rethinking the way you “surprise and delight” your customers. Guess who can give you ideas on how to surprise? The actual people you are trying to delight: your customers.
Other Ways to Innovate Your Business and Marketing Message:
1. Send a thank you card to all of your clients. Thank them for their business and let them know you are here if they need anything from you.
2. Do small projects on the side for free for clients that may be having financial difficulties.
3. Revamp your static website into a content driven website. You can use wordpress for free and have something up within 12-24 hours.
4. Dive further into your social media networks through LinkedIN, Plaxo, Facebook, or Smaller Indiana.
Take control of your company. Innovate through the downturn and do not give into the fear of losing money or losing your business. Be strong and make a difference!
Losing Content Confidence in Friendfeed? What A Load.
I am a huge fan of Alexander van Elsas’s thoughts on new media and technologies pertaining to social behavior. It is always a pleasure to read his views on how social media plays a role in the day to day communication between people. Recently he wrote a post entitled: The Idiocy of Social Media Conversations. We will dive into that in a second.
I have been playing around with the idea of writing a post about the content creation from members and the value it has to the FriendFeed audience. There has been a lot of talk lately about the content being generated on Friendfeed and how some of it is not “desirable” to a few people. Robert Scoble recently wrote a post about the idiotic comments on some of the FriendFeed conversations surrounding the economic crisis. In the post he states:
The downside of this new media world is that you’ll hear a lot of opinions. Which one is right? I’m not always right. In fact, I’m often wrong. But I’ve counted on YOU, the audience, to help me correct that when I’m off in the deep end. Now, though, I’ve seen so much idiocy that I’m not even sure of my audience anymore. That’s how deep our loss of confidence in each other has come.
It is bewildering for me to believe that Scoble is blasting the entire development of content in Friendfeed based around the opinons of a certain crisis. Isn’t it all relative?
Alexander responded to Robert by saying:
Secondly he complains about the idiocy within the discussions on Friendfeed and the loss of confidence in his audience there. For some reason Robert assumes there are experts hanging out on Friendfeed that are engaging in thorough, deep discussions.
I am on Alexander’s side. It is hard for me to connect good content and in-depth conversations with FriendFeed. I know that most of the early adopters use FriendFeed and great content is SHARED but it isn’t necessarily STRIPPED. A good content site has the sharing aspect intact but also the stripping aspect where meaning dialoug is shared amount the users.
I love FriendFeed. I love the photo memes, when Mike Fruchter shares blog posts, when democrats become pissed off at Republicans (or vice versa), I love the random things posted by Mona and I love the conversations.
If you are looking for a place to share ideas and collaborate in a knowledge capital heavy environment, I wouldn’t recommend FriendFeed.
If you are wanting a wide variety of content and personality, FriendFeed is the place to be.
Is Digital Marketing Recession Proof?
There has been a lot of talk recently about downed markets, a new depression, revenue generation, and the collapse of massive corporations. Negative attitude has been spreading like wildfire through the ranks of my social communities, as well as, my offline social circles. I was pleased to find a blog post today by Jason Baer on Convince&Convert. His post entitled, 5 Reasons Why Digital Marketing Will Thrive in the Recession was one of the highlights of my day (other than the racoon on my window sill).
Jason goes into detail on the five reasons why digital marketing is recession proof. Highlighting everything from the ROI to the short term commitments. If you want the full detailed observation from Jason go read and comment on his post. I wanted to highlight one area where I feel he was absolutely and positively right: Waste Not.
From his post:
There is meaningful financial waste associated with advertising to people who have no interest in your product or service. The superior targeting ability of online marketing will enable companies to focus their reduced marketing dollars solely on likely prospects.
This is the pull marketing strategy at work. The bomber mentality of traditional advertising tends to fatten the advertising budgets of companies who are already in fear of becoming a victim of the recession. A company has an idea of what their target market should be and wastes thousand upon thousands of dollars pushing marketing messages at a majority. Give me a break.
Digital marketing allows you to focus on the people who are already slightly interested in what you are offering: the people hitting your site. Jason talks about the concept of behavioral targeting.
If a prospect reads several pages on Yahoo! about Nissan Altimas and does a search on Yahoo! using a related term, an ad for Valley Nissan dealers can be served up just in time.
Talk about a great way to use pull marketing on a specific person!
Other than the extreme measurability of digital marketing, the ability for a company to target specific niche groups is a huge advantage of digital marketing. Also, the price of using digital marketing is extremely small compared to some traditional advertising budgets.
I think you will find more advertising budgets switching slowly over to a heavier digital model in the months to come. A recession does not mean you should back out on your advertising budgets to lower your overhead. Instead of CUTTING budgets, you should create smarter marketing strategies. Smarter marketing strategies means adding digital marketing into the mix and creating a measurable model for success.
Is digital marketing recession proof? I think so. A measurable return always wins over the long haul and digital marketing can deliver.
What do you think?
3 Ways To Help Face the FEAR of Social Media
Thank you to Brad Ward at SquaredPeg for his post entitled, Resistance. In his post, Brad quotes Seth Godin:
“It’s easy to be against something that you are afraid of.
And it’s easy to be afraid of something that you don’t understand.”
As social media evangelists, many of us run into road blocks when it comes to usage of social media with coworkers or clients. Honestly, I can tell you that the majority of the push back has been from the church sector where we have been marketing social networks for membership building and community development.
Fear has kept many people away from this wonderful tool because of a misunderstanding, or better yet, a lack of understanding. Every person on the planet has had to deal with fear in at least one point of their lives. Maybe minus my FriendFeed acquaintance Duncan Riley, who seems to have no fear. Period.
Kyle. We get the point. People have fear of something they don’t understand. This fear keeps them from opening up and becoming involved in something that could help them in the long run. So what? Why do we care? Should we care?
Absolutely we should care! It is our job as social media users convince the fearful among us to embrace this medium. Shouldn’t we tout and spread the word on something we love so much?
How do we help the non-believers face their fear of Social Media? I have 3 points to help you along your way. Please Pass GO and give me your $200.
1. Put It Into Their Context
An employee of our company, Brady Wood, was recently on a conference call with 60-70 pastors from the Church Multiplication Association. He was trying to explain to them the concept of a NING Network to help with the facilitation of training for new and current pastors. Needless to say, there was some push back. No one was at fault for this. It was new territory and it was our job to explain it to them.
Brady decided to explain the community network in terms of the conference call the pastors were currently on. He proceeded to liken an online community dialogue with that of the conference call. The sharing of ideas between people to create one solid idea that care be shared by a community of “believers.” Needless to say… they got it.
2. Throw Them Into The Water
There is no better way to experience something than to throw yourself into it head first and learn on the way down. It may not be the easiest way to face fears and shift paradigms but it will work all the same. There are times when I am consulting with a client and I will tell them, “Maybe you should take a couple of weeks and just try your hand at LinkedIN and Plaxo? I want you to write 5 blog posts and link them. When you are done with that… email me.”
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. You have to judge the personality of the person you are helping and plan accordingly.
3. Hold Their Hand (In Public)
Sometimes the only thing a person needs is to be taught how to use a platform. I’m not talking a word document that has the necessary step by step actions to add a picture to Facebook. I’m talking about sitting down with someone and physically walking them through the steps of a social network.
I have found that once you teach someone one network it doesn’t take long for them to grasp the other networks. It only takes one network to get rid of the fear and headtrash. After that one thing, you have created another evangelist.
Yes. I Have Started a VideoBlog
I have started a VideoBlog! I will be updating the “vlog” every other day, hopefully.
Feel free to check it out. Kyle’s Socially Creative Video Blog.
Hating on the FriendFeed Lists
Recently the social media community site Friendfeed released a new design that helped users better manage subscriptions, rooms, and content. I have been hesitant to manage my subscriptions into lists because I feel like it takes away from the multiple levels of content you can recieve from friends.
With that said, recently I have been starting to wonder whether or not I should take on the task of organizing my Friendfeed lists. As I have been subscribing to more and more people I find that I have lost the value in some of the posts that REALLY matter to me.
Shel Israel had a great post yesterday about the new features on Friendfeed and his view of the list management. He was bothered on what the management of friends into certain categories meant for the community design of the site. From the post: FriendFeed & Dividing Personal and Professional Relationships:
I believe that we should be transparent, credible, generous in both categories. I believe social media culture contributes to eliminating the differences in language, topics of conversation, apparel and so on. I just hating having to figure out which box to put anyone in so I avoid using any boxes at all friend.
Shel was focusing on his reaction to seeing the template list of Personal and Professional in FriendFeed when he first signed onto the new design.
I happen to agree with him to an extent. I am glad Friendfeed gave the users the opportunity to create their own lists to place friends in. It gives you, as a member, the opportunity to manage the hundreds of subscribers you may be following.
I have still not taken the step to managing all of my subscribers. I find it refreshing to scroll down and see everything from politics to cheezburgers.
When I get overwhelmed with all the information then I may choose to start organizing my FriendFeeders. Until that time I am going to blame it on laziness.
Should SocialMedian Use Personal Politics in Communication?
Before you read my post I want to state that I LOVE the SocialMedian site and I am an avid follower of Jason Goldberg.
With that said…
I happen to agree with a lot of what Jason posts on Twitter and Friendfeed. Our political opinions vary but we agree on most concepts surrounding politics and government. I have been growing a little concerned with personal political opinions being used on a company branded communication platform. Jason uses his twitter account to post news items from Social|Median but he also uses that account for his personal
political viewpoints.
I am not judging how Jason runs his twitter account but a question should be raised when
it comes to the branding of a company. Should personal politics be brought into the company communication medium? When you are trying to set an image of a company into a market is it best to keep neutral and just share information with your followers?
I have a feeling Jason and SocialMedian is putting off some users because of the political opinion of one of the creators using Twitter. When you are building a brand for your company is it best to leave personal opinions on the wayside?
This is a great question when it comes to branding a new startup. The personality of a company is directly related to the creators but how far can you go?
What do you think?
Quantify and then Qualify Your Social Media Experience
Corvida has an awesome post today on Chris Brogan’s blog called Decreasing Our Connections While Increasing Our Networks. The basic rundown of the post (which you should go read) is her exasperation over the amount of “friends” she has over various networks and the lack of a deeper and real connection between the two.
From the post:
Maybe growth on some of these networks isn’t the best thing in the world. Should there be self-imposed limits on how many people you befriend? No because in the end, while your network growth may increase, your connection with your network still increases. However, the rate at which the connection can increase actually decreases. Did that make sense? Unless your friends are constantly questioning you or keeping tabs on you, it’s going to take a lot longer to make deeper connections the more your network grows.
We have been talking a lot about creating deeper relationships through social media. When you are adding hundreds of people on networks like Twitter, Facebook, and other networks it is hard to make the same connection as before! I wrote recently about turning friends, followers, and subscribers into a deeper connection. After all the purpose of sharing in a community driven environment should be relationship building whether for business or personal use.
The question has been presented: How do you take the massive amount of users on social networks and par them down to create meaningful relationships online? Quantify and Qualify.
Quantifying Your Social Media Experience
There are some networks where a huge following is necessary to gain the full experience of the site. FriendFeed is where I quantify my FriendFeeders for the ultimate experience. Quantifying in a social media world basically means I gain an increased quality of experience based on the quantity of the people I am following.
Qualifying Your Social Media Experience
I qualify my niche networks in social media. I have found that I have an increase in quality without necessary having a huge quantity of followers on my geographically direct communities. Smaller Indiana and LinkedIN have been my niche quality sites for my social media experience. Smaller Indiana is a geographically located social network for people in Indiana. And for LinkedIN? I only tend to add people I have met in an offline environment on LinkedIN. My niche networks tend to be the place where there is a direct form of quality conversations.
How do you manage your networks? Do you find you get more or less quality based on the quantity of your friends or subscribers?
