How to Stay Positive in the New Economy

January 17, 2012 By Dave Leave a Comment

Hi, friends. If this is your first trip to the site, welcome. And yes, Area 224 IS on Facebook. You can Like us there if you…uh…like.

Photo courtesy lightruth, used with CC license.

I made the mistake of reading a book called Aftershock over Christmas Break. [Here's a non-affiliate link to the Aftershock Economy web page.] The reason it was a mistake? If you believe what’s in the book (general theme: US Economy is in a world of hurt and it’s going to get a lot worse), as I pretty much do, then it has a tendency to ruin your good mood.

Here’s the thing: the Macroeconomic doom and gloom doesn’t have to impact your Microeconomic world. Even if you’re chasing the next thing – new clients, new product launches, new job, new relationships – you don’t have to let negativity impact where you are headed.

Here are 5 tips that might help you stay positive in the new economy.

1. Have a friend act as your coach

I’ll come clean on this one: I have a friend who pulled me aside and asked “Dave, why so negative?” So it was a bad weekend – put it aside and move on.

The thing here is that you need someone who will give you a swift kick and see you how the rest of the world sees you. This is vital.

2. Work on lifting others up

Trite – but can you say nice things publicly about other people? Can you visit other people’s blogs and comment on them? Can you Tweet about someone, or give them a Like on Facebook?

3. Remember this: “Your Net Worth is Not Your Self-Worth”

Really easy to calculate your net worth these days. And really easy to let it get you down, too. Don’t fall prey to adding dollar signs in front of your own value.

4. Empathy is your friend, too

Before you admonish the world for being out to get you, consider the other side of the coin: that person who sent a quick email saying “thanks but no thanks” may be so overwhelmed that she can’t get to everything in her in box. The guy who you can’t spend more than two seconds on the phone with may be trying to save his own job. The person behind the counter isn’t being paid all that much and you’re just another surly customer to them.

5. Laugh it off

Try to seek out people who will give you a belly laugh. Put on an episode of some goofy comedy, or pull out the DVD of a movie that you can’t help but laugh at. (“Airplane!” works for me.) Leave a nutty voice mail for one of your friends at an hour that you know they won’t hear it.

I’m not an expert on how to stay positive in the new economy. But I’m getting better at it, so whether we’re headed into financial oblivion or another age of glorious triple-digit returns on everyone’s mutual funds, I’m prepared to stay positive.

Filed Under: Bacon

Let’s Talk About ROI, Baby

January 12, 2012 By Dave 2 Comments

New Here? Great to see ya! May want to start by downloading our Uber-Cool Book: Social Media for First Graders.

Big Red X

I’ll be direct – there are some people you want to have around AFTER the Social Media Bubble Pops. (And it will…more on that in the weeks to come.) Olivier Blanchard is one such individual – and I think I set off a Facebook Firestorm yesterday, when I shared with him an interesting piece: 101 Examples of Social Business ROI. That blog post was authored by a chap named Peter Kim.

Peter Kim may be the smartest man on the planet, may have cured cancer in laboratory animals, may have launched unmanned spacecraft that are headed toward Mars. Or maybe not – that’s not what we’re discussing here.

What we are discussing here is ROI. “Return on Investment.” Especially in the context of Social Media; so we can say this is a post on Social Media ROI, which happens to be the name of Olivier’s book. (NOTE: I live in Illinois and we can’t get Amazon Affiliate Credits…so there’s no Affiliate Link here.)

In order to get a Return on Investment, you must have an INVESTMENT. Here’s an example from Peter’s blog post.

“AT&T. Community: 21,000 customer issues resolved, driving 16% improvement in call deflections year/year. (Lithium Technologies, 2011)”

This is like one of the Wonderlic tests where you’re missing some really key data. For instance, a test question on Social Media ROI using the above example could be phrased like this.

Assume the following phrases are true: 1. All companies that invest in social media will see a Return on Investment. 2. AT&T invests in Social Media through its Community, and the company resolved 21,000 customer issues and drove a 16% improvement in call deflections year/year.

Question: AT&T’s Return on Investment from its Social Media is:

A) 21,000 customer issues

B) 16% improvement in call deflections

C) We don’t have enough information to make that determination

If you answered “C,” give yourself a Gold Star.

The list from Peter Kim is filled with examples like that. More sales, less complaints. More Facebook friends, less emails sent over the wall to customer service. Etc., etc.

ROI means Return on Investment. Investment means Spending Dollars.

Now, there are other metrics that may be really important to your business. Measure those. Measure them some more. But, for the love of Mike, do NOT, repeat, do NOT confuse “Social Media” with “Return on Investment.” It’s not that easy.

Social Media ROI Guaranteed, Too?

Marketers (which, these days, and especially in the Post-Social Media Bubble economy, will be just about everyone) need to understand the hard- and soft-dollar costs behind what it is that they are spending time on BEFORE they can actually quantify the Return on Investment. Just saying “we have a Twitter account” and “we get leads from Twitter” doesn’t mean that “we have a positive ROI from Twitter.”

Measure Everything. Manage What You Measure. But Don’t Casually Throw Around “ROI of Social Media” and Expect Management to “Get It.”

Thanks.

Filed Under: ROI

Top 26 Of Everything for 2011

December 21, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

Lists are Awesome! Here’s Ours.

1. Bacon

This was the Year of Bacon. Wasn’t it?

Wait, it wasn’t?

Not Cats. Or Bacon.

2. Cats

If you were a Vegetarian Dog Person, this was NOT your year. Just sayin.

3. Google+

While discussing Bacon and Cats, we should talk about Google+. It’s like Facebook, but it’s from Google, so it’s, well, plus. Here’s a link to Dave’s Google Plus Profile.

4. Francisco Rosales

He was kind enough to run our blog post on Holistic Social Media in September, but he makes this list by sharing so much awesome stuff on his site. (TIP: Visit his site today and learn which Social Media Blogs HE recommends. Here’s a link to the Top Social Media Blogs of 2011.

5. Books

Everyone seemed to either (a) come out with a book or (b) get a publishing deal. As a result, everyone is now talking about (c) how awesome everyone else’s book is and (d) where to pre-order their book. (e) Publishing is a wacky world. If you want to write one, learn what to do before you go down that path. Check out the Redhead Writing series on getting published.

6. 12 Most

We’d make this number 12 on our list, but, well, when you skip down you’ll see why we couldn’t. 12 Most: Great site, great lists. I don’t think they’ll run out of things to talk about anytime soon. 12 is a powerful number.

7. The Cloud

Want to make your startup really rock and roll? Make it Cloud-based. Put it in the Cloud. Use Cloud Computing to Solve a Problem. Say “cloud” over and over.

8. Queens of the Stone Age

Hey, if you re-released your first album, performed everywhere, and even showed up on No Reservations…

9. 9-9-9

Herman Cain, you glorious GOP Presidential Candidate you. By coming up with an interesting tax scheme -- one that’s simple, memorable, and yet convoluted; I’m paying 9%, but am I doing it three times? Am I really paying 27%? Or is it 9%, then 9% of what’s left, then another…I guess when he unsuspends the campaign, we’ll know.

10. As in ‘Perfect 10′ of PR Stupidity

What Not to Do: Penn State. (Rather than talk about it ad nauseum, here’s a link to the Prevent Child Abuse website. Help a kid, learn what you can do, learn the warning signals.)

11. 11-11-11

This date comes around once a century. Though we will have 12-12-12 next December. And 13-13-13 the December after that. Right?

12. 12 Minute Marketing

Rick Strater and I worked really hard to bring you a dynamite program that trains small business people on everything they need to know to become better marketers. Not sure if the course is right for you? Check out a sample lesson on the site. One of my favorites: Holistic Social Media.

13. Color: The Expensive Launch That…

I remember hearing about this and downloading the app for my Android phone. Then what? Here’s a link to what the site is up to now. I’m not even gonna ask how much money they spent to launch. (Canadian Readers will point out that they spelled “colour” incorrectly.)

14. DJ and Danny and Chris

Three guys I like a lot for their smarts and no-nonsense approach to marketing, business and life. DJ Waldow, Danny Brown, Christopher Penn.

15. IRL 2011

Got to knock a few people off of the “hey, I’d like to meet them in real life” list this year. Claudia Anderson, Leyla Arsan, Lisa Pugliese, Paige Worthy, Amber Naslund. To name a few. (Five. To name five.)

16. The Launch of the Year

Wow, this one stumps even me. Which launch from 2011 was the most noteworthy, newsworthy, tweetworthy?

It’s this: the Launch of the Year. Rebecca Black. So sorry, but 13,000,000+ views. 13 Million Views of a Video that is Horrible, and a Girl that Can’t Sing.

17. If You Google Ron Paul

Don’t just Google Ron Paul, but Google the phrase “If you Google Ron Paul.” You get this gem.

(NOTE: Two straight unwatchable videos of unlistenable songs. You’re welcome.)

18. Internet Marketers

Even if you think there’s a good deal of schtick, there’s something to learn from these guys. Well, not these guys, just this guy: Frank Kern. You’re welcome. Again.

19. Your 2012

You are going to make things happen in 2012, right? You know what you want to accomplish. You have objectives -- for your business, for your personal life. So 2012 is where it all starts. Correct? CORRECT.

20. That’s All We’ve Got

Really, there are better things we should be doing -- not making up lists, or doing more research on the other 6 things we should add. So…

We’ll keep the title because 26 is a more interesting number than 20.

And, on that note, thanks for listening, reading, watching, and being there in 2011.

Go Get Em! Make it a Great Balance of 2011, and an Awesome 2012!

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, Bacon, Books, Holistic Social Media

Social Media Strategy is So Simple

December 19, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

We write today with some uber-easy advice for Social Media Marketers.

It’s a dog-eat-dog social media world out there. One company’s desire for a viral video is another company’s IT nightmare. One personal brand’s quest for world domination is another’s boxes upon boxes of books in the remainder bin.

Social Media Strategy Can Be Simple. Just Think It Through.

Ah, THINKING! Critical thinking, or scenario planning, or mindmapping. Something using your head can get you there. Right?

Which brings us to GOP Candidate for President Michele Bachmann.

This isn’t going to be a rebuke of her politics, or a discussion of whether or not we agree with her stand on the issues. Plenty of places can let you do that. Instead, we just want to discuss whether or not Michele Bachmann HAS a Social Media Strategy.

99 Counties

Bachmann launched something over the weekend called “The 99 County Tour.” You can see evidence over there on the right hand side that she’s tweeting about it. Actually, her “Team” is tweeting about it. (On Twitter, her campaign’s account is TeamBachmann.)

Problem? In this reporter’s humble opinion, this was not thought through very well. Ignore poll numbers, ignore issue stance, ignore everything for a second…and focus on the name of this tour.

“I got 99 counties…”

Are there 99 Counties in Iowa? Do you care? Do Iowans care? Does it matter because we just put an earworm in your head?

Here’s a BRANDING PROBLEM waiting to happen. The most important thing that Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) has to do is this:

Build a Personal Brand around Michele Bachmann to increase the chance of winning early states, then winning the GOP nomination, then the Presidency.

People of Earth, you can say this about any candidate for any office anywhere in the USA. Breaking the larger OBJECTIVE down into these three steps gives you three smaller OBJECTIVES, but, in turn, gives you something to actually build towards.

Social Media Strategy for Michele Bachmann Made Simple

Why do we talk about this? Well, take a look at Exhibit 2.

Exhibit Two - MB Main Twitter Account

What you have here, in Twitter lingo, is a “Verified Account.” That’s what the Blue Checkmark Starburst tells us. Built In Audience. 35,000 followers.

(We won’t even get started on the Facebook page for the Representative – a recipe for brand-building disaster, what with its free-flowing commentary on everything and apparent lack of monitoring or engagement.)

Yet, no real Twitter Strategy is apparent. A Tweet here, a video posting there – “Michele’s Path to Victory” is today’s video – an occasional “RT” (Retweet) and maybe a Foursquare Check-in.

The Social Media Strategy is NOT Holistic. You’ve got a couple Twitter accounts competing with each other, and, if you were to sniff around on other sites, you’d be left to your own devices to find out what the Congresswoman stands for.

Advice: Break This Down Into Steps…

…And use the tools and audience at your disposal to start turning those steps into actionable strategies.

Step One: Tweet with the Entire State of Iowa.

Wait, that sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? No, you have the reach with your 35,000+ followers, start actually saying hello to people.

Step Two: Outline Your Plan for Your Presidency as it pertains to Iowans.

You can do this for any industry you’re in. That’s right, you have a plan for the Widgetmaster 3000 and you are launching it to Lawyers in Kentucky. Go! Speak to them and share how they will Benefit from your Widgetmaster.

Step Three: If it Doesn’t Impact Iowans and you Cannot Spend Time on it – Don’t Do It.

This means that there’s no real reason to share all of your daily activities on Facebook if you can’t support that platform and you can’t speak to Iowans there. Don’t waste your time there.

(Again, any industry can benefit from this advice. Why check-in on Foursquare if you’re a B2B concern? Etc., etc. – don’t waste your time with marketing that isn’t Objective-Oriented.)

Notice how we didn’t talk about policy? Didn’t talk about issues? We broke this down into the actionable steps, and the most actionable step RIGHT NOW is the one that increases chances of winning Key Early States. Rest of it? Doesn’t matter.

There’s your strategy. Repeat for your product, your service, your business. And you’re welcome.

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, Personal Brand Tagged With: Michele Bachmann

Why SEO Isn’t Dead

December 14, 2011 By Dave 5 Comments

SEO Isn’t Dead. Search Engine Optimization Wasn’t Killed By The Content Revolution.

Not. So. Fast.

Pulled from Twitter

There are days when you might think that every single website on the planet is focusing on Content, and Content Alone, as its strategy. Social Media Gurus will tell you that you need to be posting on every single platform at all hours of the day and night just to have a chance of being found by the search engines.

Content Farms and Content Creation Engines will tell you that it’s all about fresh, relevant, really good content: and you don’t need to write for the search engines if your stuff is awesome. Because people share awesome, right?

Right?

In one of our 12 Minute Marketing lessons, we talk about Search Engine Optimization. It’s not a deep study of the science – it’s enough so that you can cover the basics for your business (not so that you can turn yourself into an SEO Ninja). And yes, we’ll admit that we do say “Content, good content, is important.” Relevant content is important. But a couple other takeaways to complete our study here…

Links are just as important as Content.

It’s one thing to say “I’m going to link to a similar website, like that of Spin Sucks, just because it will help me.” But it’s entirely another thing to link somewhere (1) with authority and (2) with relevance to what you are talking about.

For instance: in the photo we use on this post, there’s an article on Read Write Web on SEO and the Google algorithm changes. This is what started us down the path of posting on the value of SEO – the article made it seem as if Content trumps SEO, and SEO is, thus, not important. WRONG.

As you see, we are linking to the article in a post about a similar bit of content. It’s not a trick, it’s not gaming the system. It is an SEO basic: Link to what you’re talking about. Bringing us to our second SEO takeaway:

Try owning long-tail terms of 3 or more words.

Back in September, when we guest posted on the Social Mouths blog, we didn’t plan on owning the term “Social Media.” Too short, too many searches. We DID plan on pwning “Holistic Social Media.” It worked: our SocialMouths Holistic Social Media post is still number one for that term – and our own posts, on Area 224 and 12 Minute Marketing, are in the top 5.

It didn’t hurt that it was a well-written post (IMHO) and had great content in it. But it focused on an actual term that made sense in the post and it was explained well in the post.

This means you’re more likely to own terms that you can actually say something about: Tallahassee Real Estate Trends, for instance, if you are a Realtor in Tallahassee.

What does this all tell you?

SEO isn’t THIS simple. But it isn’t dead, either. You can focus on great content, sure, but you also need to make sure you are linking to other relevant content and not trying to jump into the pool for short keywords.

Go. Search Engine Optimize!

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, SEO Tagged With: ReadWriteWeb, Search Engines

Breaking News: Klout Scores Plummet

December 3, 2011 By Dave Leave a Comment

Klout, the online site that calls itself “the standard for influence,” has seen its users’ scores plummet overnight…

…with this reporter seeing his drop from 63 on a 100-point scale to 36.

Here’s a screenshot:

Klout Score, December 3

What’s eerie about the latest Klout score changes are that they happen on a Saturday – when lots of social media users are supposed to be doing other things as opposed to working – and that they happened a day after Klout continued to explain changes on its own blog. (Here’s a link to the Klout blog.)

Knowing that some of those who influence me have left Klout, and others have never used the site, wondering if the latest changes to its algorithm might mark the beginning of a bigger backlash?

Update: As of 10:17 a.m., my Klout score has returned to 63.

No evidence of it having dropped, and no explanation on the Klout.com blog.

Filed Under: Bacon Tagged With: klout, scores

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