As a social media manager for different industries, one thing rings true for all of the audiences that I have set up communities for. [...]]]>
When speaking at Columbia University recently on a social media panel discussion, we were asked to relate how we could break through the noise and actually market in a social media environment.

As a social media manager for different industries, one thing rings true for all of the audiences that I have set up communities for. Communities are savvy. They get it. They know you are a brand and there’s gotta be an ROI in there somewhere. Watch this very brief clip for my thoughts on the topic.

This short clip is from the panel discussion, a series of 4 videos available on the SayWowMarketing Youtube Channel.  I invite your comments and questions, especially with how you TOO can break through the noise!

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Go for the WOW.

It’s not that much different than being on stage.  As a former jazz vocalist, I completely understand audiences that are distracted.  You have to keep your eyes on the audience to really get that feedback – you need to know whether your set [...]]]>

All the World's a Stage - Make 'em Say WOW!

Go for the WOW.

It’s not that much different than being on stage.  As a former jazz vocalist, I completely understand audiences that are distracted.  You have to keep your eyes on the audience to really get that feedback – you need to know whether your set list is right on track, while keeping your attention with the band to make sure they have cues to know when it’s OK to solo or when you’re going to come in after the bridge.

Ok, just got distracted there…now where was I?

As a jazz vocalist, I had to keep all hands on deck, engaging the media with press releases to get coverage, engaging people with my performance, (and hopefully they would purchase a CD!),  e-mail marketing, and always building website content.
If you’re a social media marketer, or involved with any kind of internet marketing, you should know that people have VERY limited time to hear your message, let alone click through to find out more.  And conversion?  That needs to be even more engaging.

To really lead someone down the “marketing funnel” we need to completely engage them at the start…Because in this “age of distraction,” there are too many things that fight for our attention.

Even writing this post, I was distracted by e-mail, by an RSS alert that came in, AND by the phone.

So, it’s a pretty safe bet that as you read this, you are probably distracted in some way, too.

If you want to get someone’s attention, really understand your audience (and every audience is unique!).

To start:

“What am I trying to say?”

What is the goal you are trying to accomplish?  Keeping it to one idea per communication is best. Whether it’s an e-mail blast, or a Facebook fan page post – limiting the content for each broadcast is to your advantage.

Don’t know which idea is best?  Use the Google Keyword Search Tool to check your global monthly search rate for two keyword phrases.  Which phrase do people search for more?

Or if you’re a local business, check the local Google search numbers right alongside it.

Now that you’ve figured out ONE thing that you want to get across to your customers,

“What’s the best way to say it?”

This means not just writing the copy, but thinking about the platform on which the copy will be  – if it’s a subject line in an e-mail marketing campaign, keep the text short and sweet – benefit up front.  Think of it like a tweet – this is your one shot to hope for a click through to drive traffic.

It’s crucial to LISTEN to your audiences so you can understand their needs and evaluate opportunities.

But you must also COLLABORATE with your team (or band?) so you can really understand your audiences and get the right message out to them, as quickly and streamlined as possible.

Now go make ‘em say WOW!

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This video is from my recent social media panel discussion contribution at Columbia University.

We divided the entire video into segments, with my responses to specific questions asked of New Media in the Age of Disruption.

Here is the link from Columbia University – they put up the entire video and description from the

Here is the link from Columbia University – they put up the entire video and description from the social media presentation
Make sure you scroll down to see all the sessions – it was a a really cool event, and I like the way they prepared the media for us all to share. Very social indeed.

The question asked was

Why is there a demand in a professional media organization for Social Media Managers and what are the key skills looked for?

What do you think of my response?  Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share?

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If I were to build another floor on the leaning tower of Pisa, would you invest?

Many moons ago when studying to be a personal trainer , one analogy always stuck with me.  it was relevant to ALL parts of life when tackling projects, NOT just the human body.

Do you [...]]]>

Leaning Tower of Pisa Online Marketing

If I were to build another floor on the leaning tower of Pisa, would you invest?

Many moons ago when studying to be a personal trainer , one analogy always stuck with me.  it was relevant to ALL parts of life when tackling projects, NOT just the human body.

Do you plan carefully when building your online marketing structure, by knowing your audience and what they value?  Here’s some questions you should ask to help you optimize the content you create for them:

How do your customers receive their information. Is it an RSS feed they subscribe to?  Or do they not have the time to read your blog, but prefer a podcast?  It’s not tough to figure it out – Just ask!  Survey Monkey is a free online tool (premium options are available as well), to build an online questionnaire you can send to your audience – I encourage you to incentivize it – something free or the chance to be entered into a drawing for a premium offering.  I did this recently for a beta test and people jumped on the opportunity to be a part of it.

Knowing how your customers want to receive the information you want to share is crucial to having a solid online marketing foundation.

WHAT information is most desired? Does your audience only want to receive discounts?  Updates?  You have to know what it is that they want before you can even dig into the earth!

If your online marketing campaign falls flat, it will reflect on your brand, whether you wanted it to or not.  Sloppy, misspelled emails or blog posts or unprofessional content will NOT help to build your structure.  THAT’S like building another floor on the leaning tower of Pisa!  And your customers won’t want to invest.  There’s no second chance for a first impression – get it right and plan your strategy carefully.  It WILL pay off.

Use grassroots marketing and promotions as your mortar.  Online marketing cannot be ignored in today’s fast paced, on the go world, but it’s just one channel – ONE FLOOR of your structure.  Traditional marketing methods like direct mail, radio, tv, print – are all effective, because they are still touch points.  But in those grassroots, traditional marketing methods, are you letting your audience know that you are ALSO on Facebook?  ALSO have a blog?  Or a mobile marketing campaign and iPhone app (yes, there’s different levels!)?

Any touchpoint that you have with your customer, you need to have a web connecting them all.  It’s a valuable service to let people know that they can connect with you and/or find out more information from you in the most convenient way possible for them.

You can think of it as mortar (this is a brick structure we’re comparing to!), or maybe the electric connections or plumbing.  Anything that links it all together.  You can’t expect someone to come in the side entrance if they never knew it was there, right?  You must connect all parts of your structure to make it a structure worth building upon and investing more in – whether that’s time OR money!

There are quite a few good analogies I’ve seen to building online marketing campaigns with a solid foundation (the most recently related to a post by AWeber’s email marketing channel.  This is what inspired today’s post!

What are YOUR thoughts in building an online marketing strategy?  Social Media? Email marketing?  Paid Search? SEO?

btw – WOW stood for Women’s Outdoor Workout, in my past life as a personal trainer – but although I changed careers, I loved the work that first taught me about the need to build a strategy and a program – setting goals and knowing how to get there is SO relevant to online marketing!

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