Junta42 blog

Writing a Book? 6 Ways to Launch Your Book Using Social Media

It's funny...the more our society focuses on the Internet, the more niche print books you tend to see.  Sounds counter intuitive, but the Long Tail has created opportunities in book publishing that were never before imaginable.

Since we have the ability to target the slimmest of customer segments, more companies are developing content to serve those niches and drive revenues. Yes, even books. From Amazon.com to LuLu, publishing has become easier from both a production and promotion standpoint.

This was one of the reasons why Newt Barrett and I launched our book Get Content. Get Customers., which revolves around the philosophy and execution of content marketing. We believed that we could develop a content marketing book, without a major publisher, that could get traction through the use of social media and the Internet. And we were right. (Note: Last month, Newt and I sold the book rights to McGraw-Hill. The marketing of the book was the major reason we were approached with this opportunity - that, and hopefully the fact that it's a good book had something to do with it.)

We didn't do everything perfect, but we did a lot right, and there are others out there doing some amazing things.  Below are six social media and online keys to promoting a book for yourself or your business. 

NOTE: Remember, this is not a traditional book launch.  Thinking differently is the key.

1. It Starts with Relationships

This is less of a "way" than a philosophy.  The key to your online promotion success is having lots of conversations with lots of people online. Then, those people have more conversations and presto, you have a successful book launch.

Your online relationships need to be in place before you launch your book. Trying to create a movement at the same time you are trying to find influential business colleagues is difficult at best.

Get and stay active online by using social networking and communication tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and FriendFeed. Each one will give you the opportunity to grow your network and find your place.

But it's not enough to just join...you have to do two things: get active and have something to say.

Look at it like this - if you are having a one-on-one conversation with someone and all you do is talk about yourself and how wonderful you are, how long will that relationship last?  Same thing goes for anything online. The more valuable information you communicate, the more people want to hang around you.

By doing this, you will build your base of followers that will make everything else on this list possible.

2. Why a Blog is so Important

First off, the blog can be where you actually start and finish the book.  A good portion of the chapters for our book originally came from popular posts from my blog. The same goes for authors like Seth Godin or Rohit Bhargava, both of whom have used their blogs to develop and promote their books.

But, the bigger point is that you need consistent, relevant and valuable content to continually communicate to your followers/colleagues from point #1. Nothing does that better or easier than a blog. I know with 100% certainty that I couldn't have launched the book without the blog - in terms of both creating and cultivating a following.

Content marketing works because a valuable piece of content delivered to people who want it is still the best marketing on the planet. It positions you as a trusted content resource. Once you become a trusted resource, anything from a marketing perspective is possible. Possibly no one does that better than Seth.

3. Viral Marketing and the eBook

I'm a big David Meerman Scott fan. David's books Cashing in with Content and The New Rules of Marketing & PR both discussed how content marketing can fuel a business and a brand.

Before Launching "The New Rules", David created an ebook entitled The New Rules of PR that has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. By giving away this wonderful and free piece of content, David was setting the groundwork for the explosion of his best-selling book.

Newt and I flat out stole the same concept with the release of our free eBook, Get Content. Get Customers. We gave it away for free, placed it on LuLu, and promoted it on our blogs.  We actually used much of the feedback we received about the eBook as part of the printed book. It's almost like sending a rough draft out to the world and seeing what sticks.

It really could have been anything...an article series, a white paper, a video, etc. But we've found, as David has shown, that an eBook serves as a good preview of the book, and is easy enough for people to link to and pass around.

4. Don't Wait for Your Prospects to Find You

Yes, you should have a destination site that people can visit to get your information. That could be a website or a blog. That said, you can't expect everyone to find you by getting to YOUR site.

There are plenty of sites that you need to leverage all that great content you are creating in anticipation of your book launch.

Use sites like Digg.com, SmallBusinessBrief and Junta42 to upload links and abstracts to your content. Get active in StumbleUpon. Upload to Facebook. Promote on Twitter. Upload full articles to MarcomProfessional.com.

Of course, the sites depend on who your target is (each industry has their own targeted content sites). You may also consider creating your own Squidoo page as I have. Guest blog as much as possible at relevant sites (bloggers are always looking to do Q&A's or guest blogs). Place articles on sites such as EzineArticles.

Also, don't forget to get involved in other communities that can help people find you as a resource.  Those include Yahoo! Answers, LinkedIn Questions and posting reviews on Amazon.com.

The point is that you want to create as many highways into your site as possible (what Hubspot calls Inbound Marketing) and be everywhere that makes sense with your target audience. Yes, it takes time, but done right, there may be no better way to market.

5. Building a Community First

Seth Godin's release of his latest book, Tribes, was simply amazing.

Seth created an invitation-only community site called Triiibes.com, where leaders and students could learn and be inspired (the site uses Ning.com technology). Seth called for the movement initially on his blog, which is how I found out about it.

Seth did all the right things. In exchange for putting a little skin in the game (buying the book), Seth gave you access to people who really cared about marketing.  He also made it a limited proposition, made it viral (email to a friend), and made it easy to join.

The Triiibes.com community is pretty vibrant, and I check it out when I can.

Seth built a community of fans who are all working to promote Seth's book.  By just getting a few passionate people involved in the beginning, Seth created something bigger than the book.

Something to aspire to...

6. Leverage Others to Organize a Movement

I can't tell you how impressed I am with Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton. Drew and Gavin were the masterminds behind Age of Conversation 2, a book I recently co-authored with 236 others from 15 countries.

This was not a book project, this was a major social movement that Drew and Gavin worked to perfection for the second time (I wasn't a part of the first book).

How do you get others to believe in something as much as you?  Make them a part of the process.

What does that mean for your book experience?  Whatever it is, if done right, you'll create something that transcends the book, which is what Drew and Gavin have done.

And these six strategies just touch upon what can be done in this ever-changing online climate.  There is one constant though - none of this will work without the creation of valuable, consistent and compelling content. If you have that, you just need to find ways to get people to engage in that content. The six points above will help - go out and find more...

More reading at: 10 Keys to Writing a Book when You Have Absolutely No Time to Write a Book

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Age of Conversation 2 Officially Launches - Get this Book!

If you've been following this blog, you've heard me talk about The Age of Conversation project. Well, the time has finally come - Age of Conversation 2 officially launches tomorrow, October 29th.

I, along with an amazing 236 other marketing thought leaders from 15 different countries, are participating in this much heralded book sequel that is a literal treasure-trove of content for anyone in looking for insight into the business communication processes and thinking of the future.

Trying to figure out the marketing of today and tomorrow?  This book will reveal the answers.

Copies are available for purchase at Lulu.com. The goal is to raise over $15K for charity. MAKE SURE you pick up a copy as soon as you can.

Here is just a "taste" of my chapter...

The “Golden Age” of Corporate Media

"Content marketing (the delivery of relevant and compelling content by a business to a customer) is defining the future of marketing. Content creation/execution now comprises almost 1/3 of business and consumer marketing budgets
.
The shift of organizational marketing efforts from interruption marketing to content marketing spells trouble for traditional media properties. The media business model is eroding, but the “golden age” of communications has arisen for businesses of all sizes.

Today’s Internet-savvy consumer looks everywhere for information to make smart buying decisions. At the same time, search engines such have democratized content to such a point that anyone with good content and search engine savvy can find themselves on the first page. Buyers want information fast and search engines help them get it."

Congratulations to all the authors who participated in this amazing project.  Here is the entire list and where you can find them.

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Related article - Age of Conversation Sequel - More Authors, More Must Have Content

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Alltop Launches New Content Marketing Category based on Junta42 List

Guy Kawasaki and hit Alltop team recently launched the content marketing category on Alltop.com. The list is based on our Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing blogs list, which we (Junta42) rate and update on a quarterly basis. Although the Junta42 list contains 173 total blogs right now, Guy and I both agreed that focusing on the Top 42 was best. As we continue to refine our top 42, we'll send the updates to Alltop.

How did this come about? Let's thank Twitter. Guy (@guykawasaki) and I (@juntajoe) traded tweets a few weeks back on the concept. Guy liked it and ran with it. 

Who says that social media doesn't work?

Here are the details on how we score the Top 42.

• The number of posts in the five most recent posts prior to the close date for judging that pertained to a content marketing topic.
• Substantiveness of Posts. Here we worked to weed out posts that fell short of adding value to the collective body of knowledge about content marketing. For example, blogs that simply linked to other blogs or articles without adding new information, perspectives or ideas to the commentary received lower scores than did blogs that consistently delivered unique ideas, thoughtful insights, deep coverage, rich media and the like - you know, high-value content - to the community.
• Regularity of Posts. Here we looked at the frequency of posts. Those posting on 3 or more days per week received the highest number of points.
• Google PageRank. All blogs were checked on the same day to record Google PageRank.
• Junta42 Member Ratings. Blogs ranked on our previous Top 42 list received points for their position and their Hitch! (voting) popularity. Blogs that were newcomers to our list received a first-round quality score instead.

 

The process is not perfect (we continually try to improve it), but we believe it's a good start and an excellent resource for marketers. The list contains some of the best marketing thought leaders on the planet.

For more information on the Junta42 Top Content Marketing Blogs, check out this description. Here's some more detail on adding your blog to the Junta42 list, or promoting the list on your website. Also, check out what Guy and team are doing with Alltop.  Great resource.

Thanks again to Guy for making this happen.

Alltop/Junta42 Press Release

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The Tranformation from Custom Publishing to Content Marketing

Big thanks to David Spark at the Be the Voice blog/podcast for putting together this audio interview with me about custom publishing trends.  It's hard to believe we chatted for more than a half hour about this important topic.  David not only put together the podcast, but wrote a synopsis about our conversation. Truly worth the read.

Some of the key points we talked about included:

• Produce content about and for your customers, not for your own needs.
• Be the media rather than surround someone else's content. 
• Custom publishing is all about storytelling. 
• Learn the art of storytelling, or find someone who can. 
• Before you start a custom publishing effort, decide how you are going to measure it.  

Thanks again to David for putting this together. As we learned on the call, David and I share a lot of the same feelings toward marketing.

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15 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Custom Magazine

Almost every company in the world has some kind of customized magazine or newsletter. According to the Custom Publishing Council, there are more than 100,000 custom publications in the United States alone. Sadly, many companies don't leverage their custom magazine to the fullest extent, while most don't understand the distribution options available.

Especially in these tougher economic times, custom magazines, along with all marketing, is going to be even more scrutinized, so it's important to leverage everything you can out of the content. If your magazine content is truly valuable, make sure it's not being wasted by just delivering it in print and losing it forever (believe it or not, many companies and associations do that).

For the basic custom magazine project, here are some ways to get the most “bang for your buck” out of your content, and create multiple avenues for qualified prospects and customers to reach you:

1. Record audio and video of interviews for the magazine or newsletter for later repurposing. Most interviews are completed for the purpose of getting the magazine article, but content opportunities are everywhere.  Train your editorial team to make the most of their interviews.
2. Develop a news release schedule before the magazine comes out. Target three or four key topics that affect your customers and the industry (based on the magazine content). The release link should take them to the magazine subscription or digital magazine subscription page. An incentive could be a free subscription to the print magazine or newsletter.
3. Discuss the magazine on your corporate blog. Get your editor to post some of the key findings/issues. If you don't have a corporate blog, create one on your magazine microsite (only if it makes sense and you can sustain it).
4. Sent out news releases through a keyword-optimized service such as PRWeb.
5. Post videos of interviews to YouTube and other targeted video portals specific to your industry. Upload audio to microsites. Research podcast directories that may be relevant to your industry. Look into creating a podcast RSS feed.
6. Send digital magazine version to the international audience or domestic audience you didn’t want to spend printing and postage on (or possibly a secondary customer target).
7. Make sure all articles have their own HTML pages on your microsite. Be sure each article has social media capabilities such as letting people add it to Facebook, Digg, or StumbleUpon, to name a few.
8. Be sure to Stumble! noteworthy articles and choose the proper category for the article. Say, for example, the article goes best in agriculture; those people who have tagged agriculture as a keyword may see your article when they use StumbleUpon.  
9. If you have a Twitter account, run the RSS feed for your magazine articles through a service such as TwitterFox. 
10. Provide something remarkable and different on your microsite for download. This does two things: 1) continues the conversation with your current customers, or 2) gives you information on prospects so you can begin a conversation with them. Something remarkable may be a free eBook about the 10 trends in your industry, or a free white paper on a new, cutting-edge technology. Keep the sales pitch out. Seek only to educate at this point.
11. Use pay-per-click, targeting specific keywords to drive people to your downloadable content offering. Your primary strategy should be organic results and inbound marketing, but a highly targeted pay-per-click campaign on long-tail keywords should be an option.
12. Be sure to make RSS feeds available for your web content.
13. Continue the news release program, pushing the audience to the videos, an eBook, or key articles. Remember, news releases aren’t for getting press; they are for building key links and for helping bloggers and influencers find your site. Industry bloggers can be key to your magazine effort.
14. Upload articles to key vertical and social bookmarking sites such as SmallBusinessBrief.com for small business, Sphinn for SEO/SEM, Junta42 for content marketing, or Digg.com for wider exposure.
15. And if you are really on the cutting edge, create a Facebook fan page or group around your magazine or your company and promote within that vehicle. Invite your key customers to join the Facebook group. Personally, I prefer the Facebook group we created over the fan page.  It seems to offer more opportunities for true interaction.

There is more that you can do, but this gives you an idea of how you should be marketing your relevant and valuable content. Think of it this way: How much valuable content have you or your organization created that has only been seen by one group of people—or worse yet, not engaged with at all? Marketing problem, not content problem.

Other Helpful Links

• Why Most Custom Publications Aren't Measured
• Everything Custom Magazines at Junta42  

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Topps Poised to Become Media Company - But Who Isn't?

Topps, the storied baseball card company, has recently released the web comedy series called "Back on Topps" starring twin comedians Randy and Jason Sklar (recently featured in the LATimes).

Since Topps was bought out by Michael Eisner's Tornante Co. in 2007, change is afoot.  Eisner is poised to turn the very traditional Topps into a media machine. Co-promoted by Fox Sports and sponsored by Skype, the short videos integrate the Topps fabric into the entire story line, in which two brothers (the Topps' brothers as performed by the twin actors) lose the company and try to get control back in some fashion throughout the series.

The strategy, although far from unique, is a huge step for the Topps brand, which has usually fallen behind competitors such as Upper Deck in the innovation category. (In addition to the comedy series, Topps has also launched ToppsTown, which is a virtual world for card collecting fanatics.)

The LATimes article states that "the branding of this series is part of [Eisner's] strategy to turn the card company into a media company." My question here is, what company isn't trying to turn their brands into media properties, whether it's the blog from Whole Foods or the Blendtec's Will it Blend? 

I guess it depends on your definition of media.

To me, most people view a media company as an entity that distributes content, via multiple channels, for the express purpose of generating revenue and profit in some fashion, like the NYTimes or NBC. But even from that definition, brands now must be included in the conversation.

Why? The answer is simple. Brands create and distribute content for the purpose of ultimately generating some type of sale, although often times indirectly. The web series created by Topps should have an ultimate purpose to generate more interest and sales in Topps products, correct? The fact that the series is being defrayed or supported by Skype is secondary to the ultimate goal of selling more Topps' cards and ancillary products.

Why does Whole Foods consistently participate in their blog? Somewhere in there should be an objective to grow the business. Same for Blendtec.

So now there is this massive gray area for what a media company is or does. That's good news for brands, who can compete with media in their own industries to position themselves as trusted content providers. Traditional media companies won't go away, but they are struggling to find their own place in this new world of communication and conversation. They will find their place, but so will corporate brands.

Look, I like what Topps is doing.  But it is in line with what John Deere did in the late 1800's by creating their own customer newsletter (called The Furrow). Brands becoming media companies is nothing new. Actually, to survive in tomorrow's environment, it's mandatory.

Relevant Articles

• The Trickle Out of Traditional Media into Content Marketing Turns to Flood Starting Now
• Heck with the Recession, Companies Are Investing in Content Marketing

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What You Need to Know about Content Marketing

Just read this article by Steve Tobak on bnet entitled "What You Need to Know about Branding." Very cool article and worth checking out.  In the article, Steve contends that there are five key points that every manager needs to know about branding, and IMO he is dead on.

As I was reading the final three points, I wanted to take out the word "branding" and replace it with "content marketing." And so I did.  See below.

Content marketing strategy is not a one-off; it’s a component of your overall corporate strategy. Hopefully that begins with some sort of strategic planning process that defines your company’s vision, goals, and key strategies. Content marketing strategy is integrated and aligned with those.

Content marketing...is about using certain tools to achieve strategic and operating goals. For example, content marketing can be used to position similar or the same products in different market segments, typically at different pricing levels. That means changing perception without changing the product -a neat trick.

There are a myriad of decisions and tradeoffs involved in developing the right content marketing strategy for a company and its products and services. There is method to the madness. For example, a product line’s goals, market requirements, and value proposition will lead to a unique content marketing strategy. At least it should.

Key points:

1. Content marketing must be based on the company's organizational goals, of which are based on fulfilling a customer need.
2. Each company brand and product line could/should have a different content and informational strategy.
3. Each company brand's content marketing strategy is different because each product usually has different customer segments.  All customer groupings have their own informational needs, so the company must have different informational products and tactics as well.

Creating relevant, compelling and consisting content that works takes planning and investment. It's much more challenging to develop content that creates a connection and fosters engagement than placing a TV spot or an ad (which is one of the reasons why more companies aren't doing it more). It also can create an asset that has a much longer shelf life.

More companies are starting to realize this. As they do, it will even be more difficult to cut through the clutter. I have the feeling that we'll look back on content marketing now with nostalgia as the good old days...when it was pretty easy to get content delivered and noticed by customers. Tomorrow we'll have to be better...our customers deserve it.

Helpful Resources

• What is Content Marketing?
• The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing
• Content Marketing vs. Conversation Marketing
• Attract and Retain Customers White Paper

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The Trickle Out of Traditional Media into Content Marketing Turns to Flood Starting Now

I have been hesitant to push this concept too much, but the evidence is just too vast to ignore anymore.  Those of you who are readers of this blog know that I've been talking about the push into content marketing from traditional media for years.

It's not like that's any big revelation.  We've been seeing traditional print and now even online display revenues take a beating at media companies. Layoffs and restructuring abound (even at Gawker and MySpace). Technology and consumer behavior has changed the landscape entirely and a new business model has emerged.

But, until this point, it has been happening slowly.  The 20% of traditional media spending that was chopped off after the 2001-2003 recession never came back, but it did stabilize, where we were seeing flat spending across the board in most industries. Over the past five years, marketers have been slowly socking away more money into their own content efforts, and pulling pennies from traditional media space to do it.

The economic "crisis" (or whatever you want to call it) will fundamentally change where marketing dollars go.  Frankly, I've been surprised that more companies haven't taken this on sooner.  Yes, companies spend between 27 and 30% of their budgets on their own content, but that number should be more like 50%. The case for content - engagement, search engine optimization, lead generation - it's there, no doubt about it.

Here's the news though.  Yes, advertising spending will drop substantially over the next year+. And yes, money will be moving around quite a bit, with more (even though a much smaller dollar number), going into online marketing. But the shift from traditional to content marketing activities will happen swiftly because of one big reason now - marketers now have the excuse they needed.

Seems almost silly, but marketing departments in larger companies are often times slow to move (you know who you are).  They have well-worn paths with agencies and marketing partners that go back years and decades. Over the past five years, marketers have been testing and "playing around with" creating their own content on a significant basis (much like P&G does with HomeMadeSimple.com and BeingGirl.com), but we haven't seen the significant "shift" as of yet.

This recession/crisis/slowdown is the excuse that marketers will use for moving traditional money out and getting creative. That means significant moves into content - blogs, articles, white papers, video series, variable enewsletters, eBooks - heck, even custom magazines are still hanging in there. If they are not already doing so, most companies will evolve themselves into true publishers of media, targeted to their specific segments of customers and prospects. 

In the previous recession five years ago, most of this "content" stuff was still unproven (even though content marketing spending is in excess of $30 billion dollars per year).  Today, we know it works, and marketers, although still a bit unsure and tentative, are licking their chops to move money into this area.

Inform or entertain. Inform or entertain.  Say it again...inform or entertain.  That's how engagement is created. That's how you become a part of the conversation.  That's how you create a dialogue and stop shouting. Both are tough to do today without creating relevant, compelling and consistent content.

How do I know all this? I have the opportunity to talk with custom publishers on a regular basis.  These are the guys that traditionally have provided content services for companies (although that is changing fast - but that's for another blog post).  You know what?  Business is up almost across the board.  Sure, there are a few big programs that have been cut, but those are being replaced by other new content projects.

Hmmm....end of times are here, and business is up.  Odd, to say the least.

Marketers are starting to get creative.  With this, we are seeing the biggest marketing supplier shakeup in history.  Publishers, custom publishers, pr firms, advertising agencies, interactive firms, SEO/SEM firms are all going after this thing called "content" (call it what you will...content marketing, custom publishing, custom content, branded content, corporate content, etc.). The next five years will be the wild wild west of mergers, buyouts and closings we have ever seen in the marketing industry. Those that understand the value of content (from a journalistic standpoint) will win.

If this prediction was available in a stock, I'd bet the farm.

Sean Callahan on AddsYou: the Impact of Information and Social Media

I recently had the opportunity to interview Sean Callahan who is overseeing a project called AddsYou.com.  AddsYou has an interesting business model, and is definitely relevant to what is going on in the content marketing industry.  Take a read below, and thanks to Sean for taking the time.

Who are you, and who do you work for? Share a bit of your background.
I'm President and Co-Founder of AddsYou.com, Inc., and I’m a passionate social media enthusiast from the sunny state of California.  I’m also an alumnus of California State University of San Marcos and currently a student of London Metropolitan Business School with over 10 years of business experience as an entrepreneur, small business owner and consultant. I was the President and CEO of One Lead Source, providing real estate and lending professionals comprehensive marketing and consulting services educating clients on how to build referral-based businesses. I have held the title of Director of Marketing for Blueprint Financial Group, an innovative mortgage services firm, and directed the establishment of the company’s Customer Relationship Management program, as well as numerous strategic initiatives.

A few questions about your current project…

Tell us a little about the AddsYou project and how you got started in it?
I’ve always been into technology, bringing and connecting people together. I met my girlfriend on Match.com which brought me to the UK and joined Alex Buelau, the Co-Founder and CTO of AddsYou.com, Inc., several years ago on another project. He’s from Sao Paulo, Brazil, but moved to Oxford in September of 2008. I met up with him in March of 2008 at Waterloo Station in London. We began talking about developing a network that could bring writers (authors, bloggers, journalist, and ordinary people) together to publish and share knowledge to the masses and help them increase their exposure and visibility on an offline in addition to rewarding them for their contribution. It so happens we sketched out a plan and AddsYou.com was conceived.

There have been a number of online models that haven't succeeded with the "pay for content" model. Why will this one succeed?
That is a great question. The basis of the AddsYou business model is more than just paying people for content. That is simply one of many reward mechanisms. What makes our social publishing network exciting is that we will help increase the visibility and exposure of our members. The element of helping someone become the next “American Idol” of writing is quite a unique value proposition. By marketing and making our members’ content available on and offline through a variety of distribution channels we’ve solidified, gives them the opportunity to be discovered and fully monetize their content.  Our research has indicated that our segment is motivated by two things, money and exposure. In a recent survey of 100 writers, 94% of respondents said that if they had an opportunity to increase their exposure and get paid to have their online content published in print media they would take advantage of it. But that’s not all; there are various social media tools in the AddsYou community to make writing exciting, interesting and more importantly fun.

There is a ton of content out there, do we need more?  What say you?
Of course, there is always a need for more information, better information, not just content. It’s our mission to be the most visited user-generated content website on the internet contributing to the creation of a world-wide database of knowledge. Think about all of the highly skilled knowledge workers out there not sharing their knowledge or what about the text files sitting on people’s computers. I’m talking well-written information, like novels, short stories, poems, news articles, research papers, etc. just sitting there collecting dust. It’s our goal to get this information and share it with the world.

What’s up with the name AddsYou?
Yeah, most marketers would say you need a catchy name or it should tell users what you do. We kind of did both, the logic behind what we do is the site adds “you”, the writer, not only to the internet, but to a variety of distribution channels to increase the both the exposure and visibility of the user.

How do you intend to market this? Is there a viral effect to this?
Absolutely! Although, we’re using many traditional methods to promote AddsYou, our marketing strategy encompasses lots of viral related components such as social media applications (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to encouraging and rewarding members to invite their friends, family members and colleagues to the community. I’ve also setup several presentations at universities throughout San Diego all the way to London to educate people on various entrepreneurial subjects through my eyes leading this start-up. Furthermore, we hope to reach the hearts of the blogging community and both local and national media to help us spread the word about this exciting concept.

A few questions about social media…

How can social media boost your marketing and pr?
Social media helps companies become more transparent to their customer and spread messages virally into social networks they would never have reached. Social media can help a company rapidly spread their message much like Malcolm Gladwell’s identified in the Tipping Point. Word-of-mouth is extremely powerful.

What mistakes should people avoid in social media? What are some issues to consider when someone embarks on a social media marketing initiative?
Only share what is within your comfort level and nothing more. Information spreads fast so make sure you get it right before you release it.

Define 'Social Media' in 500 words or less.
Simply put, social media is communicating and sharing information on the internet between users across one or more networks. 

We know each other from Twitter, so obviously you use social media, but does your company also use social media?
Yes, AddsYou has successfully used Twitter to market its alpha release in November 2008 to obtain a wide-array of testers for the pre-launch. Various social bookmarking tools have also been used to spread the word about AddsYou.

How are you using it to connect to your customers and leverage social networks to expand your brand’s recognition and build a positive reputation?
Social media tools such as Twitter have allowed us to be very customer-focused to listen and get feedback to build our network with as much input as possible. It has also helped us target niche demographics to build test groups for our alpha release of AddsYou.

Do you track your name and your company’s name? What are some of your favorite reputation management tools and why? If you do not track social media, why? (this includes search twitter-formerly Summize, radian6, etc.)
Yes, our company uses Search Twitter and Google Alerts to get a pulse and hear what people are saying about AddsYou. It also gives us the ability to take action by either mitigating problems or to simply let users know we are listening and they’re being heard.

What do you consider "must-have" sites/profiles to establish and why? (this includes micro-blogs, e-vite, schedule organizers, API’s, build your own network)
The biggest one for us right now is Twitter, although we do have a Facebook account setup. Their micro-blog helps us quickly and efficiently provide timely updates and useful information to our supporters.

What companies do you think are doing a great job with social media, or horrible? Tell us one story or a very successful client or your own story that you feel makes online networking worth while. (case study)
Our company has used Twitter for one week to promote the Alpha Invitation site for AddsYou and has quickly received 350 requests. Twitter has helped us create a user-base to test out our service offering in a short period of time.

How much time do you think people should spend on social media?
It depends on what one is trying to accomplish from using social media. If a user is trying to provide customer service through a social media outlet it could be a full-time job.

What game plan would you recommend to someone just starting with social media?
Step 1: Look, listen and learn what a vast majority of the population want or need.

Step 2: Develop something exciting and of value that people will benefit from and a way for them to engage.

Step 3: Join various social media sites and begin providing value to the network to find early adopters.

Step 4: Keep looking, listening and learning from your customers.

A few more personal questions…

What is your favorite part about what you do?
My favorite part of working for a start-up is the people and the high levels of energy constantly buzzing around me. I enjoy having something constantly going on whether it’s promoting our concept or getting into the code and helping the developers build the application. I’m a hands-on kind of person and think it’s important to know a little bit about a lot.

What's the most important thing you do each day that helps your business?
The most important thing I do each day is talk to people and make connections. I have at least one meeting each day where I pick peoples’ brains, setup alliance or partnerships and share the vision for AddsYou. I’m definitely the biggest cheerleader for the start-up minus, the skirt and pompoms of course!

Where or from whom do you pull inspiration?
I really have a strong drive to make everything I touch successful. I get my inspiration from the people closest to me, my friends, family members, colleagues and professors. They hold me, or I like to think they do, to a high standard that I must live up to.

Who is someone in your profession that you've always looked up to or followed their progress? Why?
I’ve looked up to a lot of people as well as the people who have mentored me over the years. I could name a list of people that have told or done something for me that have changed my life for the positive. On a global scale, I’ve always looked up to Disney believe it or not. Walt was such a visionary and way ahead of his time. Bob Iger, the man in charge now, is an extremely accomplished and brilliant executive. He really understands the media industry and how it is evolving. Disney’s ESPN brand is a shining example. Iger’s company is defining how people interact with sports on the web in addition to other brands the company controls.

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Wordle Discovers Your Content Niche

Brian Massey reminded me about Wordle, which generates a "word cloud" from the text of your blog, website or bookmarked links.

It's interesting to see the types of words that become the focus on my writing.  My keywords include:

Media
Social
Marketing
Content
Information
Internet
Customers
Business
Custom

Using that in a sentence...

Social media marketing using custom content/information over the Internet to drive business and customers.

Yeah, I can live with that...

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