The Caffeinated Blog

Need Content? Your Community Are Your Best Writers

It should be evident to you at this point (at least, I hope so) that content needs to be at the heart of your online marketing strategy, beating healthily and pumping life through the veins of your website.  Consumers have so much information at their fingertips, and they are the ones in control.  They're reading articles, reviews, case studies, and blogs.  They're listening to podcasts and watching webinars and videos.  You should be delivering the information to your prospects and customers that enables them to make a highly informed decision about your products - and this goes beyond product descriptions.

Many companies decide to hire full-time or freelance content producers to write articles, maintain the blog, and even create multimedia content like videos and webcasts.  This is definitely the way to go, and certainly something you may want to consider.  But here's another tool in your content toolbox that you may not have considered: your community. 

Some of your best content can actually be produced by your own customers or members of your online community - just by asking for it.  This is known as user-generated content, but I like to call it community-generated content.  It's prevalent on product review sites and forums; but you can integrate community-generated content on your site in a number of ways.  Not only is it great just for the content itself; but for the valuable data you can glean from it for your business.

Community-generated content should not be your only content marketing strategy.  I recommend using it as a supplement to original content produced in-house (like case studies, articles, white papers, etc.).  Here are a few ideas for how your community can create quality content for your site:

• As research for a blog post or article, ask a question on LinkedIn or other Q&A sites.  I did this for my recent post 31 Must-Read Online Marketing and Social Media Books.
• Create a blog post where you ask readers to post comments with their opinions about a specific topic.  Use their opinions to create another blog post.
• Ask a question on Twitter.  Use the answers as part of a blog post. Chris Brogan did an awesome job with this back in October when he asked Twitter followers "If Oreo cookies wanted a social media engagement to sell more cookies, what would you sell them?"
  
• Ask customers to contribute blog posts or articles about a topic relevant to your industry, products, etc.  Better yet, hold a contest (check out how Viscape did just that).

Do you have any ideas?  How have you implemented community-generated content into your website?

10 Tips for a Successful Blogger Outreach Campaign

With more than half of blog readers saying that blogs influence their purchase decisions, it's no wonder that many companies are eager to generate some buzz about their products on blogs.  Unfortunately, it doesn't happen magically.  In order to get the attention of these influential bloggers, companies have to reach out to them and make themselves known - but in a meaningful way. 

This is not easy.  It takes time and effort to put together a blogger outreach campaign; but if you do it right, your efforts will reap rewards in the form of increased exposure, positive recognition, and more sales.

Here are 10 tips that I've put together based on my own experience conducting blogger outreach campaigns:

1. Identify the right blogs: You obviously want to find blogs that are the right fit for what you’re offering in terms of content and target audience.  Use blog directories and search engines, as well as conversation monitoring tools, to find these blogs.  Compile a list with the blog names, URLs, where you found the blog, name of the blogger, and their email address.
2. Read the blog:  The blogger wants to see that you’re paying attention to what their blog is about.  Read a few of their posts to get a feel for their subject matter.  Participate in discussions by commenting on posts, if you can.  Get to know them before sending your pitch, as this will be the foundation of your relationship.
3. Make it personal: It’s OK to come up with a boilerplate message to send out, but make sure to personalize it as much as possible.  Of course, you’ll want to integrate the name of the blog and the blogger; however, take it a step further by mentioning where you found the blog and/or a specific post that caught your interest.  I also recommend AGAINST using an email marketing platform to broadcast your message to a list.  No matter how many personalization parameters you insert, it just won't work as well.  I know sending individual messages takes a lot of time; but it will be well worth it in the end.
4. Explain the benefits: Why should this blogger promote your offering for you?  Why would his audience be interested?  What makes your offering valuable?  These are all questions you should be answering in your pitch.  This is where all the homework you do beforehand by reading the blog will come in handy.
5. Be transparent: Don’t be dishonest in representing yourself.  Tell them who you are, including your title.  If you’re with a PR firm or marketing agency, make brief mention of it at the beginning (i.e. “[Company name] is a client of our agency, and I’m reaching out to you today…”) and include in your signature the name of the company and the name of the agency.
6. Make yourself available: Let the blogger know that you’re available to answer their questions, and include your email address.  Respond to any questions they have in a timely matter or schedule phone conversations, if necessary.  It’s also a good idea to include links to your social media profiles (like Twitter), either for yourself (if you are representing your own company) or for the company.
7. Be ready for negative feedback: You may get some less-than-positive responses to your emails.  Because of this, have a response plan in place if this should occur.  Here are some tips for dealing with negative feedback.
8. Keep track of responses: As you receive replies from bloggers, make sure to keep track of everything on a spreadsheet (how they responded, if they published a post, questions they had, bounced messages, etc).  Not only will this help you track results of your outreach campaign; but it will also give you something to work from for future campaigns.
9. Don’t spam:  I recommend sending one email, and maybe a second one to those who don’t respond (but make the second message different from the first).  If you find that certain bloggers just aren’t responding, then leave them alone. 
10. Thank them for posting: Make sure to thank any bloggers that do publish a post about your offering – with an email and/or a comment on their post.

So am I missing anything here?  What are your experiences with blogger outreach and what tips would you offer?

31 Must-Read Online Marketing and Social Media Books

One of my resolutions for 2009 was to read more.  Not that I don't read enough online, with my 40+ blog subscriptions; but I wanted to start reading more interesting books and then sharing the information I learned with all of you.  So, I've recently started reading Get Content. Get Customers by Newt Barrett and Joe Pulizzi, and I added the Reading List app to my LinkedIn profile in order to start the sharing my reading list with my network.

This got me to thinking about books that other online marketers, PR/communications specialists, and business owners have read and would recommend - so I asked them.  I posted the following question in various marketing and social media groups of which I'm a member on LinkedIn:

What marketing, communications, and social media books are you reading or do you recommend?

I've seen lots of books come out about online marketing and communications in a web 2.0 world, and I just wanted to get your recommendations. What books about this subject are you currently reading, or what would you recommend (for new or experienced marketers, or small business owners)?

The response was great - we're not talking hundreds of responses; but there were about 30 different people who recommended a total of 31 books that they deem must-read for marketers.

So, in no particular order (and grouped for your convenience), here are those 31 books:

General Online Marketing and Communications

Tribes by Seth Godin
Tuned In by Craig Stull, Phil Myers and David Meerman Scott
Rules to Break and Laws to Follow by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers
Join the Conversation by Joseph Jaffe
How to Say It: Marketing with New Media by Lena Claxton and Alison Woo
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
Click Here to Order by Joel Comm
Web 2.0 and beyond: Understanding the new online business models, trends, and technologies by Tom Funk
Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz
Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions by Tim Ash
Web Analytics: An Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik
Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss
BUY-OLOGY by Martin Lindstrom

Email Marketing

Sign Me Up: A Marketer's Guide to Email Newlsetters that Build Relationships and Boost Sales by by Matt Blumberg, Tami Forman, and Stephanie A. Miller
Email Marketing: An Hour a Day by Jeanniey Mullen, David Daniels, and David Gilmour
Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers by Seth Godin

Social Media

The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott (this one was a particularly popular recommendation)
Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations by Clay Shirky
Click: What Millions of People are Doing Online and Why it Matters by Bill Tancer
Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide by Amy Shuen
The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media by Paul Gillin
Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe
Marketing to the Social Web by Larry Weber
Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
Social Media Marketing: An Hour A Day by Dave Evans

Content Marketing

Killer Web Content: Make the Sale, Deliver the Service, Build the Brand by Gerry McGovern
Get Content. Get Customers. by Newt Barrett and Joe Pulizzi

What books are on your must-read list?

What Are Your Marketing Resolutions for 2009?

As we sit on the brink of another new year, we perform that time-honored, nearly obligatory tradition of listing our resolutions.  Yeah, I know that the tradition of making resolutions is matched by our tradition of breaking them; but it's still a wonderful opportunity to take stock of the past 365 days and think of all the ways to change for the better (personally and professionally) over the next 365 days.

In terms of technology and online marketing, we saw social media skyrocket in popularity.  More and more businesses began launching presences on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as their own corporate blogs.  In 2009, social media is in a position to really come into its own (think search marketing about 3 years ago), and we should see more companies using it as part of their online marketing and customer engagement strategies.

I polled my friends on LinkedIn and Twitter to find out what their marketing resolutions for 2009 are.  I think that these go to show that social media and content marketing are on the dockets for many marketers in 2009.

My Top 10 Marketing & Social Media Videos of 2008

2008 has been a wild ride of a year, hasn't it?  Social media has really started coming into its own, and everyone wanted to create something "viral" (including those of us in online marketing).  So, as 2008 comes to a close, I'd like to reflect back on some of the viral videos that caught my attention in the marketing and social media sphere.

Saving a Sinking Website (and the CEO Who's Sinking It)

I've just finished reading a post from marketing consultant Mayra Ruiz at the Marketing Misfit blog.  It seems she's in a quandary regarding a client of hers whose CEO is slowly (but inadvertantly) killing his business by sinking every online marketing effort she and the company's marketing manager have made - and is thisclose to killing their website completely and going back to a "brochureware" approach, complete with an entirely offline marketing strategy.  Read Mayra's post here to get the full picture.

The whole story saddens me and has brought up some painful memories of frustrating attempts at explaining web 2.0 and content marketing to bottom-line focused C-levels.  It amazes me how many CEOs can have such "pie in the sky" aspirations while still having such a narrow-minded view of sales and marketing.  I could go on a long rant here, but I won't.  Instead, I want to address some of the points of contention that she brought up.

Here are some particularly mind-boggling reasons the CEO came up with for killing their website budget (which Mayra listed in her post), followed by my own commentary:

• Most people only visit the site once or twice.  Why, dear readers, do you think that is?  Because there's nothing of value offered on the site.  It seems to me that the CEO has the mindset that his product in all its feature-laden glory should be valuable enough for his visitors.  Now, I haven't seen the website myself, so I don't know how the product is described; but none of his prospective customers are going to care enough about his product to visit the site more than a couple of times.
• Most of those people don’t covert to actual leads, just general traffic vs. actual qualified leads.  Again, I haven't seen the website myself and don't have any clue to the marketing copy (features vs. benefits-driven).  It's obvious, though, that there is no value proposition enough to pull visitors through the conversion funnel.  Or the traffic is really untargeted.
• No point in adding new content all the time - there are plenty of other places on the web to get research, data.  What would you like to bet that a good chunk of those "other places" are their competitors?  Why doesn't the CEO want his website to be one of those go-to places for research and data related to his product?  Why doesn't he want his company to be an authority in its industry?  They have an incredible opportunity to build trust and authority around their product through content - they just have to create an effective content marketing strategy and stick with it.
• Most people just want to learn about the product(s) and don’t have time for the “extra” stuff.  How did he make this assumption?  From his prospects and customers?  No, they don't.  Prospects have to go through the research phase of the buying funnel - they're looking for the what, when, where, why, and how and gathering as much information as they can (all that "extra stuff") in order to draw up a well-researched short-list of options.  It's imperative to provide them with all of this information to give them the full 360 view, impart valuable knowledge, and instill trust in their own product.
• Website seems to be more trouble than it’s worth; constant upkeep and maintenance incurring costs...and perhaps that money could be allocated to other marketing activities like direct mailings, magazine advertisements and trade shows.  Offline marketing activities are all well and good; but this is the 21st century.  Prospects expect a website - no matter how many mailers you send out, how large your print ad is, or how much you spend on your double-decker state-of-the-art trade show display.  Offline marketing efforts won't be nearly as effective on their own without a tandem online strategy to help keep your sales leads warm.  Kill your website, and I guarantee you'll be killing your new business.

Jonathan Betts also wrote an excellent, thorough response to Mayra's predicament on his blog, The Bettsonian, which covers the CEO's reluctance to invest in a viable marketing plan and branding strategy. 

All in all, it seems to me like the CEO is not really in tune with his audience, has a lack of understanding of online marketing in general (not just web 2.0), and does not want to put the time and effort into a content marketing strategy to not only generate leads, but nurture them through the sales process.  Perhaps if he were to see successful examples of blogs or other content used by either his competitors in his space, or comparable non-competitive products, he might be saved from the primordial goo of web 1.0. 

What would you do in this situation?  Leave a comment with your thoughts and help a fellow marketer out!

Online Video Primer Part 1: Why Use Online Video for Marketing?

Today's guest post is from Adam Helweh of Secret Sushi Creative.  It's the first a series of posts Adam is contributing about online video.

Put a hand up if you have ever watched a video online. Ok, keep it up if you have sent someone else a link to a video online. I bet there is a good chance that your hand is still up. Ok, now keep you hand up if you have ever uploaded a video online. Although you might still have your hand up, you might be surprised at the number of people who have not taken advantage of the increasingly easy and powerful medium that is online video.

Starting with this article I plan to provide a little insight into online video, some of the many tools used to create videos, which services to consider, and some of the ways to reach viewers. This series of articles should be especially useful for those who put their hand down on my last question; but even if you have uploaded a video before I hope you might still learn something.

Online video is only a few years old and has been gaining popularity faster than almost any digital medium. Previously those who wished to distribute video online had very limited choices. Since the debut of Youtube in mid 2007, things have exploded. Recent numbers by ComScore show Youtube's parent company Google, accounts for 63% of the US search market share. What is most interesting is that 25% of the searches on Google are Youtube video searches.  Considering that 2.7 billion searches were generated by Google last month, that is a lot of people looking for videos - 621 Million to be exact!

The numbers say a lot, but here are a few other reasons to consider doing more than watching online video:

• Inexpensive tools & software have made producing videos easier than ever (we will discuss this in part two)
• Almost all online video services are free (more about this in part three)
• Online videos can become "viral" and are easy to share with a dozen friends or 1,000 potential customers (covered in part four)
• Online video is easily measured. Most services provide statistics on views, visitor demographics, and other valuable information (also covered  in part four)

Video has always been one of the most powerful ways to communicate. Whether it is a how-to, show & tell, or "watch my kid!" video, getting it online and in front of friends, family, and customers is easier than ever.

Want to know more?  Subscribe to The Caffeinated Blog to receive future posts about online video marketing.

Adam Helweh is the principal of Secret Sushi Creative, a new media marketing and design company located in the Silicon Valley. Adam has been involved with the creation of digital media for 10 years and currently advises clients on social & new media marketing strategies for their businesses. He also enjoys the show Lost, his cat Tiger, and of course sushi! You can contact him at adam (at) secretsushi.com.

Utilizing the Power on Online Video Content

Web content isn’t just about articles and blog posts.  Content can be just as effective (if not, more effective) when it’s more…visual.  There’s a really good chance that a high percentage of your visitors are visual learners – meaning you need to provide them with content that they can easily digest and understand.

Enter online videos.

Online video content can be a very powerful way to convey any sort of message to your audience while adding that much-needed personality to your business.  It adds a dimension of value to your web content that isn’t necessarily achieved through text alone.

Now, I’ll be honest with you – I’m pretty new to online video creation.  However, I realize how effective it can be as part of a content marketing strategy, and I wanted to publish a series on it in the hopes that you and I both would learn something more about it. 

Future posts in this series will delve more into the creation and optimization of online videos.  Meanwhile, I’d like to give you a few ideas in this post

Different Ways Online Video can be Used

Demonstrations/How-To’s: These can be extremely effective, especially if you have either a somewhat complicated product, or a versatile product with lots of uses.  How-to’s don’t have to be focused on one particular product either – just keep your target audience in mind.  Think about what sort of video content would be valuable to them, but still relevant to your website.

Examples: Cooking demonstrations, arts & crafts how-to’s, home DIY demonstrations, exercise demonstrations

Video sites to check out: Howcast, Monkeysee, FreeIQ

Interviews: This type of video is especially effective for B2B websites.  Conduct interviews of thought-leaders in your industry at conferences, seminars, or even at your company.  This sort of video content is meant to build credibility and authority by associating your company with a well-respected figure in your industry.  Talk about the future of your industry as a whole or a specific aspect, or get opinions on recent industry news that impacts your customers. 

Examples: Here’s a great example of the interview video for the online marketing industry.

Video sites to check out: IMBroadcast, FreeIQ (has how-to’s and interviews), DoGooder.tv (video site for non-profits)

Events: If your company regularly holds seminars or sessions at industry conferences, or participates in community events, take those opportunities to record them on video and post them on your website.  This provides valuable content to your visitors who weren’t able to attend your events in person, and also shows your company’s community involvement.

Examples: Check out the series of videos Search Marketing Expo posted here from the "What Is Spam" session at SMX East.

Video sites to check out: IMBroadcast

Humor: What better way to demonstrate the lighter side of your business then with a bit of humor?  The key here is to show video content that is funny or lighthearted (and IN GOOD TASTE so as not to offend anyone) while still maintaining a thread of relevance to your company or products.

Examples: I posted a video in last Friday’s Whole Lotta Link Love that was a parody of Alanis Morrisette’s song “You Oughta Know”, which is a really great example of a humorous video that is still relevant to the company that produced it, HubSpot.

Also check out the Vimeo HQ channel on the video site Vimeo – all “behind-the-scenes” videos of life at the company.

Have you ever used online video content on your website?  What worked for you and what didn’t?

All I Want for Christmas: Cool Books for the Online Marketer in Your Life

Do you have an online marketer or "web 2.0-head" in your life, and no clue what to get that person for Christmas?  Have you been sitting up nights agonizing over what to buy for your favorite blogger (who may or may not be me...hey, just sayin')? 

Have no fear, Caffeinated readers, I've done the wishlisting for you!  Here are 7 books on my holiday wishlist, guaranteed to be perfect gifts for your social media geek, blogger, or online marketer.  And all are under $20 too!

Content & Community - You Can't Have One Without the Other

Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage,
This I tell ya brother,
You can't have one without the other.         

-Married With Children Theme Song

This song became stuck in my head yesterday as I was thinking about how content and community form the heart of social media - for a successful social media strategy, you really can't have one without the other.  And it's difficult (at least, for me) not to say that line without thinking of that infamous theme song from Married With Children.

Content is the foundation of an effective social media strategy and the glue that holds your website together.  You need content to pull in visitors through social media channels.  It's the carriage that holds the attention of your customers.

Community, therefore, is the horse that pulls the content "carriage".  In order for your content to work in a social media setting, it has to offer value, engage visitors, and rally them to your product, brand, and company (without being sales-y).  Content provides the conduit through which your customers can interact with your company, but then it's up to you to build a community around your content in order to bring it to life.

So there's my deep thought of the day...your thoughts?