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Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

Soulati-'TUDE!

Behind Every Blog Is A Person

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Yesterday, I permitted my fears (unfounded or not) to come directly to these pages for all the world to see. I asked for a hug, and you came out in my support. You also came out to whoop me upside the head and say “snap out of it already.”

Yes, I needed that and thank you.  I also needed to be a person, a human with fears and emotions, and needs. I needed to know if there was comfort in my future or uncertainty? I needed to vent the unsettledness that ruled me yesterday and the days prior to clear the way for the get-up-and-go ‘tude you all have come to expect from me.

Did you read The Jack B today? I just did before I sat down to crank out this post. He’s certainly sharing some thoughtful, personal, frightening, raw thoughts because he is a person behind his blog — real, fighting for his family’s future and his own.

We learned of the passing of someone’s child via a blog post recently, and this threw everyone into a tailspin. We heard of another losing his job with four children at home, and that provoked support and encouragement. We learned that a Twitter pal had found love and employment, and that has put him on a path of happiness.

You see, each of us has to be human at some point or another. Without that kind of persona occasionally peeking through, a blog would be merely mechanical and cold.

I want to say that your comments from yesterday’s post assured me we’re all in this together, regardless of whether we live in Costa Rica, Canada or Sweden. When someone is going through a rough spot, and seeks a bit of acknowledgment that it’s all going to be okay, a community becomes more than family. It becomes a hug.

So, while I allowed myself to show a bit of unusual behavior recently (stemming from a financial decision I made that has me fearful and positive), you saw a human behind this blog.

Thank you, kind family.

Bloggers, Please Add Comment Luv Plug In

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By Jayme Soulati

I’m a serious blogger. I like to visit others’ blogs with some basic plug-ins and comment systems that allow me to share my latest blog post. I love the blogs I visit with LiveFyre and Comment Luv or another similar plug in that links back to my latest post.

The primary reasons are twofold:

  • I am visiting your house to give you some love; might you give me some love back?
  • I want to know the latest blog post of others who comment so I can zip over to a new blog and see what’s happening.

I’ve gotten pretty pressed for time these days and find it nearly impossible to visit blogs as much as I used to. I feel badly about this and understand that many a blogger has a tit-for-tat mentality — I won’t come to your house unless you come to mine. I wish there was a check box somewhere with a plug-in called Kilroy Was Here so I can cross off my name in case I don’t want to leave a comment. Maybe you have Clicky and you can see my IP address showing up on your visitor analytics and you know I’ve stopped in. But, that’s asking a lot.

And, so, on this Saturday if or when you might read this, would you perhaps consider adding a plug in that features latest blog posts so we can give one another a bit of love?

Just askin’…thanks!

(Photo Note: This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this blog post, but I have to show off my poppy from my garden; that’s big love!)

 

 

What Is Owned Media And Why Publish?

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Credit: Juicy Agency blog

Everywhere the terms owned media, earned media and paid media are popping up. If you’re not familiar with these as a b-to-b marketer, it’s time to understand why these types of media are a necessary part of your strategy.

Earned Media

As a public relations practitioner with media relations expertise, we get coverage or stories for businesses in media. This is called earned media. For business-to-business marketing, PR is a critical strategy for campaign results. If you’d like to learn why, please ask in comments.

Paid Media

This is the coverage and ink you buy, like advertising. Everyone knows the value this brings, especially when larger budgets are available.

Owned Media

When you create and publish your own content, you own it. It’s called owned media. Think of the blog you write for your company, client or yourself. The words are yours, and you publish them on a self-hosted website (hopefully). The ideation to create these inspiring words is yours, too.

Ownership of your words; it sounds so pizzazzy and smart.

In the chaotic world that is social business and social marketing today, there is one pathway tried and true – owned media. No one says it’s easy street to publish content, but it’s a surefire way to garner attention for your smart words.

And, with a consistent publishing schedule, you can develop a rich archive of owned media – stories you’ve written with your byline.

 For Small-to-Medium Business

Owned media for small business is a way to level the playing field. You have a chance to differentiate your products and services in a nimble and expedient way. You can take an industry issue and get out front with counsel to clients and peers. You can become a thought leader with refreshed content that can only boost your presence, brand and positioning.

Level of difficulty? For sure, you need to know what you’re doing before you launch. Blogging, publishing regular newsletters and becoming a thought leader is not for the faint of heart – being consistent with content marketing is critical to success.

Larger Business

There are a variety of social marketing channels to engage with customers; as a larger business, you’re likely aware and already engaging.

If you’re not already owning content and pushing it on a blog or news center on your site, then you’re missing an opportunity to be an authority. There are many, many blog posts written “proving” blogs are dead. Heck, everything dies and comes back to life with inspiration and creativity. Look at bell bottom jeans, for goodness sake!

Marketing departments are often hard pressed to publish consistently; yet, when it happens, brands benefit. This type of strategic approach to owned media and content marketing is exactly what the doctor orders.

Your business-to-business marketing strategy is incomplete without it. Ask me why.

 

Blogging For Community Or Clients?

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By Jayme Soulati, Chicago River, Wendella Boat

It’s summer, and I prefer a laissez-faire approach to blogging that matches my inability to be super productive because, as all of you know, I’m a #MomInSummer with no help.

What that means is the writing of pretty easy blog posts suitable for my community which get everyone thinking (none too hard) and generate a bunch of comments. In addition, I’m not doing too much hard work to add proof points and evidence that my opinion matters as evidenced by big data or research.

Is this a problem?

When I look at the really established bloggers with hundreds of tweets for each post (and often very few comments), it gives me pause. Should I be writing heavier content to impress would-be clients to show I know my stuff in business-to-business social media marketing with public relations? (Had to stuff that key word phrase in somewhere, didn’t I?)

Or, can I go ahead and offer up thinkable topics that align in and around the community while being accessible and sharing ‘raderie that I so love to do? There are times when I am hit in the face with hard business topics, and these require a different approach to writing; that’s when the smarts really show up, and it gets peeps thinking or running away. Comments become fewer, but traffic is there. People don’t often find the need to say anything because, well, I don’t know the because…this has often baffled me…the posts that say a lot about nothing; the bare-your-soul posts; the I-have-a-problem-and-maybe-you-can-help-me posts; the simple-non-thinking-fill-space-posts; seem to ALWAYS get the most comments.

Why?

What does that say about communities? Would people rather alight on a topic that’s airy and fluffy or get fodder that contributes to business topics?

In my thinking about this post, four heavy-hitting bloggers come to mind:

Heidi Cohen

Shelly Kramer

Adrienne Smith

Wonder of Tech

I love these four women who write the same all the time; hard-hitting news, tips, reviews, educational material, and more. I can count on them for good insight, and I can learn from them, too. Laura Click came over the other day and said she knew she was writing for clients and not her peers, and that’s why her comments from peers were fewer than when she launched her blog and engaged her peers more.

What that says to bloggers is a good lesson to heed.

If your blog is lackadaisical in approach, topic, content, goals, then take a look at these five women bloggers and look at their consistency of style. Are you writing for your community or your clients? Do you care?

Blogger, Twitter, Triberr

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You can tweet without a blog; you shouldn’t blog without Twitter, and every blogger needs Triberr.

Oooh, that statement is going to get me in hot water, eh? So many people can’t see the light about Triberr, but have you seen the innovative things happening over there? Triberr is trying to single handedly alter the way we blog, get subscribers, earn traffic and analytics, and so much more.

Most of us were in on the early ground floor when Dino Dogan  and Dan Cristo were accessible with lots of marketing time on their hands to do some fancy  sheep videos with Danny Brown about Klout. Today, Dino and Dan are so famous, they nary have time for us small fry. Kidding. Dino and Dan are still the most accessible chiefs, cooks and bottle washers the blogosphere has ever seen.

I digress.

For those of you bloggers who aren’t on Triberr, think about how hard you work to push out your content. When it’s good content, and you know it, here’s what you have to do:

  • Post to Facebook
  • Post to your Facebook company page unless you’re part of Networked Blogs
  • Post to Google +
  • Post to LinkedIn
  • Post to LinkedIn groups
  • Tweet all day
  • Post to Buffer and Crowdsource
  • Tweet your friends and ask them to stop by to comment

When you have Triberr and belong to a slew of tribes, then your reach is exponential with all the social sharing possible and feasible right from the Triberr platform. And, the cool thing is, when you’re in a tribe with mighty bloggers you get access to their content right away as soon as it publishes.

I was never so glad to be invited to a tribe recently to hob knob with a few big-daddy bloggers I hadn’t been able to bump shoulders with. Once in their tribe, now I can easily comment on their blog after I re-tweet their post from Triberr, and I can come right on back to the Triberr platform and repeat the process as often as I wish with other bloggers.

What Triberr allows is streamlined productivity and each time you head there, new buttons and features and functions are added with that in mind.

Dino and Dan are working on new beta products always – there is a micro-sharing thing that’s interesting and exciting, and there is also atomic Triberr in early beta for testing.

I encourage all bloggers with consistent content to join a tribe. Heck, join mine! I am always seeking some new inspiration in my Globe Spotting tribe where bloggers around the world share posts with others.  I have other tribes I belong to, as well. Need an invite? I have a few bones to spare because Dino asked me to take a survey and the payment was bones – Triberr currency. That was an excellent bribe; took me all of 2 seconds to take the survey.

Confused? Don’t be…it takes a few heartbeats to sign up, and then you reap the benefit of being introduced to new bloggers. You don’t need to automatically share their blog posts — you can select which blog posts you want to push. The thing I love the most is that my favorite bloggers’ posts appear in my Triberr home page, and that’s how I don’t miss anyone.

What’s your thinking? Wanna duke it out? 🙂