The Caffeinated Blog

Whole Lotta Link Love Friday, September 26

Hello, fellow Caffeine-hounds!  I'm heading off to the UK tomorrow and won't be back until next Thursday.  I don't know if I'll have time to post something while I'm away, so hopefully this week's edition of Whole Lotta Link Love will tide you over.

1. It seems we're always on the lookout for the next big thing in social media - but have we mastered the last big thing yet?  Greg Verdino discusses.
2. Are you (or someone else at your company) leery about business blogging?  Mayra the Marketing Misfit talks about how businesses are still not sure about the value blogging can bring to a business.
3. If you are currently blogging, it's important to build a community around your blog.  Luis at TopBusinessReviews.com offers some tips to help you build that community.
4. Is bad grammar ruining your brand?  Yes, it can affect how your audience perceives you and your business...here's how.
5. Even though I'll be in the UK, I won't be in London - and I won't be able to go to the Twestival. Damn!  Really, I wish I could go...who's going to throw a Twestival here in the States?
6. Just read this interesting story - are you a Facebook narcissist?  

Have a great weekend everyone, and see you next week!

Gettin' Widget With It: Using Widgets for Online Marketing

When we think about social media, we think about sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and the plethora of other social sites out there that seem to spring up almost daily.  Sure, social media is about being social - with a community or with a company.  But it's also about interactivity.

That's where widgets come in.  Widgets are these neat mini applications that have built in interactive elements, such as games, streaming content, calendars...the list is literally endless, since so many different possibilities can be developed.  Widgets can be added to a website, downloaded to a desktop, or even added to a mobile phone - which make them great viral marketing tools.  Plus, people like getting something of value for free - give them a cool widget with something really fun or really useful, and you've got new customers.

The other great part about widgets is that they're quite inexpensive to create.  Through sites like Sproutbuilder and KickApps, you can create your own widgets for free.  Note that some programming knowledge may be required for more complex widgets; but widget creators such as these provide you with pre-built templates and drag & drop interfaces for easy use.

So is widget marketing something you should do?  Here's what you should think about first:

1. What content can you put in the widget?  Do you have interesting news or articles posted on a daily basis?  Do you need a way to ramp up donations for your non-profit?  Do you have a weekly podcast?  These are just a few ideas for content you can put in your widget; but I would recommend looking at the content you have available now vs. what you would have to spend extra time (and possibly money) to develop.  You can always add more functionality (or create new widgets) later.
2. Does your audience want a widget?  Sure, you might have a great idea for a really cool widget; but will your audience go for it?  Go to Facebook and Myspace, where a variety of widgets are available for members to add to their profiles, and conduct a search to find those similar to what you would have to offer.  The number of downloads those widgets have will give you an idea of popularity.  But don't stop there - you can also conduct a similar search through a widget directory like Widgetbox.
3. How will a widget benefit your business?  Think about how you will build your widget in order to benefit your business as well as your customers.  Will you simply include links back to your website, or will you provide greater opportunity for a conversion?  While a widget is great for branding, you need to look at how you can tie it to some sort of conversion event - like a subscription to an email newsletter or RSS feed, completion of an inquiry form, or a sale.
4. Will you need help developing your widget?  Like I mentioned before, widgets can be pretty easy to create using the WYSIWYG platforms currently available; however, some widgets may be more complex and require additional programming.  If you don't already have programming knowledge, you may have to enlist additional help to build your widget (which may or may not cost money - depends on the resources you already have available).
5. How will you market your widget?  I've just mentioned Widgetbox, which is a widget directory where you can promote your widget.  There are other widget directories out there as well (just search for "widget directory").  There are tons of other ways to market your widget - on your own website or blog, an email marketing campaign to your current customer base, through Google Gadgets (Google users can add your widget to their iGoogle pages), Yahoo Widgets (widgets for desktops)...widgets are fun and creative, so be just as creative with your marketing ideas!

Tell me your widget marketing stories!  How have you used widgets to promote your brand and products, and how well did it work?  What advice would you offer?

Whole Lotta Link Love Friday, September 19

Busy, busy week - lots of client work for some great small businesses, planning a short autumn vay-cay next weekend, and putting together some great links for today's edition of...

Whole Lotta Link Love Friday!

1. It's amazing how much terminology is out there for viral marketing...and how much Dan Zarrella has included in his brand-spankin' new Viral Marketing Glossary.
2. Are you thinking of starting a corporate blog?  Here are some reasons why you shouldn't over at the PRStore.
3. I love this post QuickFix Copywriting, "5 Writing Crimes You're Probably Guilty Of".  I've been guilty of at least one of these before, but they all are easily fixed.
4. Frank Gruber (who lives here in Arlington - hi Frank!) posted this cool impromtu video for Contxts.com - I like the service, but I also like how this was done from the backseat of a car in San Francisco (how 2.0 is that?).
5. I've been evangelizing lately about online forums (and check out this post as well) - so, it's only natural that I would love this post over at Problogger with some excellent (and easy) tips for increasing membership for your forum.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Caffeinated Poll of the Week, September 17

The Caffeinated Poll has been on summer vacation for a few weeks, but I've brought it back.  Today, I want to know what form of social media or networking has worked best for your B2B company or organization. 

Depending on the business or organization model or how B2B marketers converse with customers and/or suppliers, different forms will yield different (and better) results. 

So, B2B marketers - what has worked for you?

Sweet Charity: Increasing Donations Using Social Media

Non-profits and charitable organizations have so much to gain from using social media: not only is it a low- to no-cost online marketing channel, but the heart of social media is community (hence why it's called "social").  Nothing builds support for causes better than community outreach and grassroots efforts.  It's a natural fit.

Plus, according to a recent Donor Pulse(R) poll, 52% of donors say it's important for charitable organizations and non-profits to communicate with their supporters using social media, and 51% of those are higher level donors.

I'm currently working with an awesome charitable organization, writing new copy for their website and consulting with them on content and social media strategy.  They collect disused cell phones, recycle them, and give proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  This is the first charitable organization I've worked with, and I must say - it's sparked so many ideas for using social media to build online donor communities.

Here are some of my ideas (note - these assume you already have a blog, which is why I don't talk about using one here):

Get on Twitter

This is pretty much a no-brainer.  Create your branded Twitter profile page, and start finding folks to follow.  You can do some Twitter market research using Twitter Search, and/or find people to follow using a directory like Twellow.  Set up your RSS feeds on Twitterfeed...but don't forget to get involved in the conversations of those you follow in addition to tweeting your new blog posts.  This is crucial to getting others to rally behind your cause.

Build a Ning Community

Using Ning, you can build a free online community with groups, forums to discuss relevant topics, an events page, and a page to post photos.  You can brand your Ning community page with your logo and colors, add RSS feeds to your organization's blog, allow members to post meetups for local drives, and add links to donate via Paypal.  You can even create badges for members to put on their own websites.

Here's a great example from the Parents of the Our Milk Money Organization.

Build a Facebook Page

I've just started using Facebook, and I'm starting to see the value it can bring to a non-profit or charitable organization.  Create profiles for the officers, directors, or administrators of your organization, then create one or more groups as you see fit (business donors, individual donors, etc.).  Get your developer involved and build an application for other Facebook members to post on their profiles - this could include event listings, RSS feeds, and (of course) a link to donate.

Check out this LiSA08 (Lessons in Social Advertising) Facebook application:

The downside to using Facebook is that you can't look at a Facebook page if you're not logged in or already a registered user - which creates a temporary blockade for those who aren't on Facebook.  My recommendation would be to create both Facebook and a Ning community - and make sure that you link to both options from your website and/or blog.

I'm sure there are so many ways to build online donor communities using social media - these are just a few.  Do you have any ideas?  Please comment below!

Whole Lotta Link Love is Baaaack!

I know, it went away for a couple of weeks - what can I say, it's been crazy busy 'round here (which is good, right?).  I've definitely been saving up some link love for you, so Happy Link Love Friday everyone!

1. Kristen King at the Inkthinker Freelance Writing Blog has a special giveaway running - a free  3-month basic account on Invotrak, a new invoicing and time-tracking service for freelancers.  5 winners will be chosen, so your odds are pretty good.
2. Blogs are the new website - but better.  If you're a business professional or part of an organization, and you're still not convinced about the value having a blog can bring, you must read this article at CenterNetworks.
3. What is social networking?  According to an eMarketer survey, more than half of social networkers don't know.  Check out the details over at Mashable.
4. In our current economy, "spend less and save more" (or even "spend less and make more") is the new marketing mantra.  How can you work it into your product or service offering?  Read more at the Marketing Misfit blog.
5. From the folks that brought you Website Grader - now bring something else you need to be graded on.  It's Twitter Grader!
6. I love John Hughes movies (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club) - which is why I love this post comparing characters from his movies to the presidential election cast of characters.
7. Mindless time-waster of the week: punch up your boring mp3's with a little Christopher Walken and more cowbell.

Have a great weekend everyone (and I hope everyone down in East Texas is safely away from the wrath of Ike)!

7 Reasons Why Online Forums Aren't Dead Yet

On Monday, I posted my thoughts on why online forums aren't dead yet.  There were some great comments, both on the blog post and outside the blog post; however, I felt compelled to get opinions from some more folks.

So, I went to LinkedIn and posted this question:

Do you still use online forums?

Online forums can be regarded as web 1.0's version of social networking. They still continue to thrive today, but for how long? How do you use online forums, and how valuable do you think they are compared to newer forms of social media and networking? Do you think they'll continue to grow and evolve, or die away like dinosaurs?

And I received some excellent answers, from which I culled these 7 reasons why online forums continue to thrive:

1. They're great for industry-specific or niche topics.  One opinion was that social networks are still too "generalist".
2. Online forums make great user support platforms.  One person commented that "unless people stop using the web to solve problems, there will always be a need for forums."
3. They're not as promotional.  Online forum users generally use them to ask and answer questions, rather to promote their own agendas.  Although...
4. They're great for linkbuilding.  Many marketers still use online forums to build links to their content in a (somewhat) non-promotional, unobtrusive way (through signatures, referring to helpful, relevant content on their sites).
5. Message boards and online forums are still the interactive, social community centerpieces on many sites (here's a great example: CoffeeGeek Forums)
6. What's better for the creation user-generated, index-able content?
7. Forum software is being updated to include more web 2.0 features.  For instance, vBulletin has created a blogging add-on for community members to create their own blogs.  Vanilla is completely open-source, allowing developers to create their own add-ons.

Yes, there are disadvantages - such as the tendency for many forum discussions to turn ugly (of course, I've seen the same thing happen on social networking sites), and having to log in to post (as opposed to just laying down a comment in a blog).  I still think that the pros completely outweight the cons - online forums are not going away anytime soon.

Online Forums Aren't Dead Yet!

I read a post recently from Anthony Kirlew at Old School SEO where he posed the question, "Are Message Boards a Thing of the Past?"  My short, yet resounding answer to this?  Absolutely not.

Forums are the original social networking sites.  No matter what version of the web we're on (2.0 and beyond) online message boards and forums will always serve a purpose, and will continue to grow and change.

I think Anthony makes a point when he says that forums can be clunky; however, I wouldn't say that all forums are stuck in the past - and they continue to be the community centerpiece for many companies and organizations.  Just take a look at some of my faves:

Search Engine Watch Forums
FreelanceSwitch Forums
StartupNation Forums

These, like many other online forums, have thriving communities of members who are passionate about their niches and helping others in the community.  Even with the development of niche social networking sites, online forums cover hundreds, if not thousands of niches.  They're highly searchable and allow you find conversation threads on a range of topics.  If you have a question, you can either find an answer from past threads or post a new thread.

What do you think?  Do you still use online forums and message boards?

AIW Presentation: Online Writing and What Online Clients Want

Yesterday I participated in a panel discussion for the American Independent Writers, held at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.  If you attended, thanks for coming!  I think it went extremely well (despite Tropical Storm Hanna bearing down), and a lot of excellent points were discussed by both the panel and the audience.

Big thanks to Kristen King, who organized and mediated yesterday's discussions.  I also want to thank my fellow expert panelists, Jill Kurtz, Beth Bates, and Mayra Ruiz-McPherson.

I promised I would upload my presentation, which outlines the kinds of content needed by online clients, the types of skills online content writers need to have, and where to find online writing gigs and projects.  My presentation also includes a number of links to online SEO tools and freelance writing resources, all mentioned during the discussion.

For more on writing for SEO, check out my recent post SEO Tips and Tools for Content Writers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment!

American Independent Writers-"Pushing the Electronic Envelope"

I've been eagerly preparing for my first panel discussion, "Pushing the Electronic Envelope: Sharing Your Writing and Selling Your Work in Cyberspace" held by the American Independent Writers.  It will take place tomorrow (Sept. 6) at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.  If you're in the DC Metro area, I hope you can make it.

I'm participating in the first panel with 3 other talented online writing and marketing experts:

9:00-10:15 a.m. Writing for Online Audiences: Writing Web Copy, Selling to e-Markets, and Standing Out Online Writing for the web is vastly different from writing for print. Readers have different expectations, different reading patterns, and a veritable flood of content to pick and choose how they will spend their online time. This session will teach you how to make your writing stand out from the crowd and land your dream e-signment.

Here are some of the topics we'll be discussing:

• What are key differences between writing for print and writing for the Web?
• How can writers find work in online markets, whether e-zines, blogs, web content, etc? In other words, what's out there?
• What makes a GREAT Web writer vs a good Web writer?
• What kind of work do you do and how did you get started?
• What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
• What is the best advice you could give someone who wants to break into web writing?

Here are the top experts joining me on this panel:

Beth J. Bates is a Web and Social Media Consultant and the owner of Web Strategies Internet Solutions, LLC. She consults with small businesses and non-profits on social media tool selection and strategy. She helps her clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals. With 11 years experience in web development and online marketing, Beth brings a unique blend of traditional technical knowledge and a passion for emerging technology to marketing strategies.

Jill Kurtz, A.P.R., has spent 20 years in communications and public relations and thinks that the greatest value she brings to her employers and clients is an enthusiastic interest in always learning about the new “thing.” She enjoys finding ways to make new technologies help individuals and organizations to accomplish their most basic

Mayra Ruiz-McPherson is a virtual marketing consultant and publicity assistant, long-time DC Web Women member, who possesses more than 14 years of working in the marketing trenches of business. As a marketing strategist, she works with multiple clients to solve their marketing challenges no matter how simple or complex, no matter their industry or market vertical or how affluent or limited their budget. She also maintains the DCWW blog, performing interviews, designing graphics and composing original editorial to keep the blog’s momentum fresh and moving forward. Her previous professional experiences include serving in various marketing leadership positions throughout the Washington metro area such as Assistant Director of Marketing for the University of Maryland’s Professional Studies division, Director of Marketing for a metro-based legal technology firm, Director of Marketing for a Northern Virginia health care facility, Executive Director for a community-based non-profit and Director of Web Communications for ATM/Debit network giant STAR. Presently she authors the Marketing Misfit blog, a blog providing real-world insight, tips and forethought as well as sharing true-to-life marketing blunders for the purposes of learning from the mistakes of others. Ruiz-McPherson holds her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Strayer University and seeks to begin her Masters in Education.

Again, if you're in the DC metro and interested in attending, I hope I'll see you there.  For more information, check out Kristen King's Inkthinker Blog.