Mark W. Schaefer Archives

Be Known As A Podcaster

12/09/2016 By Jayme Soulati

In life we need to have cause to celebrate. I know my friend Mark W. Schaefer celebrates probably every day because he is known.

Heh. What the heck do I mean? When you’re known, well, people know you. They know your work; they know your competency; they know your authenticity; they know your personality; they know you as a blogger, podcaster, author, speaker, and authority. And, how do people become known, actually?

In this 100th anniversary celebratory podcast, The Heart of Marketing, we get a tease and early introduction to the next big thing by Mark Schaefer. He’s drafting a book on becoming known and how one goes about that. (In fact, I’ve been reviewing each chapter as he’s writing and let me tell you, this book of his coming soon is going to be amazing good.)

When you lead a public life and the Snapchat Spectacles are targeting you, the lens is pretty harsh in that public eye. Mark has done an incredible job of holding his end of the bargain and being all things to all people and so much more behind the scenes we don’t know.

Today, I’m celebrating 100 podcast episodes, and I’m also celebrating Mark as a role model for us all in the marketing arena.

This is an early endorsement of Mark’s new book we can expect in Q1 2017, I presume, about how each of us on our very own journeys can accomplish so much more than what we realize. His book is what I’m calling ‘my personal public relations plan,’ and I encourage you to watch his space for announcements and pre-orders.

Being Authentic While Becoming Known

From my own experiences becoming known with a goal early on to be an influencer in public relations, I know first hand that authenticity is critical. Being genuine and accessible and truthful and believable are traits I know work on the journey.

Back in the day, when Mark and I started on Twitter together, we immediately developed kinship alongside the rest of us bantering in the marketing sector on Twitter. Everyone had an opportunity to create their personal brand and become an influencer in their own right.

Today? Not so much. People don’t know how to use social media for relationship building; it’s merely a channel to sell or ask for favors. Developing an authentic self on social media today is quite challenging and takes a lot of time and pressure.

The only way to be authentic is to take the time to develop the rapport and to be real, not phony. We can see right through phony!!

Launch a Podcast

I’m going to say something not very profound, but perhaps it will make you stop and think a moment.

If you were speaking into a microphone all by yourself knowing that an audience is hanging on your every word (well, that comes with time!), is there any way you can be but authentic?

When you do a podcast, what you say has to come from the heart, really and truly. What you share is teachable and professional so you want people to align with your topic and your authority, right?

I’m so very happy to have John Gregory Olson as my co-host on The Heart of Marketing because I’ve never wanted to go it alone. We’ve been informed that we’re yin-yang; professorial-school girl, and that means entire complement — chemistry so hard to find in the podcast world it’s priceless.

Meet Maura Sweeney

I just had the absolute pleasure of meeting Maura Sweeney yesterday. She’s the authority on Living Happy Inside Out, the podcast that in a short ~10 minutes gives you guidelines for life’s journey. One of my faves is about cookies. I’m happy to say I’m always on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie loaded with nuts and other goodies, and when Maura asked me if I was being a cookie I had to listen in and do the ‘ah-hah’ thing because apparently being a cookie isn’t the best you can be!

Tune in to Maura’s podcast right here, and stay tuned for her to be our special guest coming soon!

Jon Buscall of Moondog Marketing

Jon Buscall is a very dear and special friend of mine, and he resides in Sweden. He runs Moondog Marketing and the Online Marketing and Communications podcast. Jon was a very early adopter of podcasting, and in fact, wrote the book on how to podcast. He’s also an expert on microphones for podcasting having done tremendous research and blog posts on which mic produces the best sound quality.

I listen to many podcasts and there are very few going solo well. Jon Buscall is one podcaster who’s an absolute pro at going solo; he interviews folks, too, but his lovely accent is reason enough to listen not to mention is marketing smarts.

Be Known As A Podcaster

Each of these podcasters mentioned here have become known over time and with genuine delivery of authority. Celebrate. Try something new and become known because you need to keep your passion energized for whom you are and who has yet to know you.

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11 Inspired Nudges to Fuel Your Business Book

08/01/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Photo Credit: Jayme Soulati via iPhone 4S on AA flight to LA

Ever thought of writing a book? Don’t tell me you haven’t! Everyone is writing a book, and that either makes you feel left out or jazzed up.

If you have a bucket list, writing a book may be one of your yet-to-achieve items. Because self-publishing is the latest trend to hit the book world, there’s no better time than the present to jump on board and self-publish already.

Self-publish? How did that word hit you?

Some have a negative reaction to we who self-publish our first tome. My first business book has been out a few weeks, Writing with Verve on the Blogging Journey. The concern is that bloggers who write books are not legitimate authors. (I know this to be true, as I heard it from someone directly.)

Bah-humbug!

When you have an archive full of content hardly seeing the light of day, then why not compile these posts into a collection of insights?

Bloggers have keen opinions and are usually remarkable teachers. They offer vibrant thought, lead perspective and showcase talent from years of writing and perusing others’ writings. Check into your archives and see if a book is ready to pop from under the covers. Maybe you need a nudge of inspiration to help push your book into reality?

11 Book-Writing Tips and Nudges

1. Showcase Confidence. Overcome what’s challenging you about writing a business book. Business development, building your list, power for the brand, and achievement for the soul are significant reasons why authorship works. Understand that a book builds your cred; it’s an opportunity you’ll never regret.
2. Got topic? As mentioned above, start with your blog. Comb your archives and see what strikes you. There are topics you’ve tackled more frequently than others, and these posts become book fodder.
3. A blog is owned media! You own your blog and you write your posts. Owning all this content means you can re-purpose it into a business book easy enough. Add them to a document, sort, update, tweak, and off you go!
4. Do self-publish the first title. There’s nothing wrong with self-publishing; it enables a faster go-to-market strategy. It eliminates time on the front end and provides more time to market the title. Now that budding authors have the opportunity to self-publish, carpe diem! Did you know that Mark W. Schaefer self-published The Tao of Twitter?
5. Is an e-Book a book? If you prefer to launch a book online only, stop worrying that people won’t consider your e-book legit. It’s a common emotion, but guess what? You are writing the book for YOU. If people read and like it, that’s another discussion.
6. Invest in you. Write for you, write to achieve, write to invest in your future and your credibility. Printing a book on your own will require a financial investment; however, plan for it. Money is required to publish a book; but, it won’t break the bank.
7. Time is of the essence. As a professional blogger, you are familiar with time commitment. Your growth is along an ever-steepening path. Add your book project into the blogging queue. Instead of posting four times weekly, then only post two for awhile and use that writing time for your book. You learn to manage time better when it’s time spent building your brand.
8. What will peers and critics say? Ignore the naysayers. There will be people who don’t regard your work with value; others will say you’re not a “true” author. Put on the ear buds and listen to happy music! Perhaps you’re a blogger who wrote a book (like me), or you’re a bona fide writer who wrote a book…pray tell…what’s the difference?
9. Writing a book is necessary. Are you trying to monetize and earn money online? A book provides so many opportunities to help monetize from building a list, earning authority, speaking engagements, and business development.
10. Will anyone buy it? An investment in time, talent and thought to craft your first title is NOT about making a profit. You are writing a business book to accomplish so much more for your growth professionally. If people buy it, then that’s a bonus. Lower your expectation about selling hundreds of books. You can be surprised later.
11. After the first title, more follow. Mark Schaefer does not recall this email to me about three years ago. I asked him where his book was, and he said, “Why should I write a book, everyone is!” Now look at him with three highly successful business books under his belt. Once you sit down to write the first, there’s a second title just beneath the surface. I know this from experience. My first title is just published, and my second is being written in my head right now.

The experience of the experience is the biggest reward you’ll have when you allow these inspirational nudges to push you into authorship. My bookshelf and Kindle always have room for one more title, and I bet yours do, too!

This post originally appeared on Mark W. Schaefer’s blog, Businesses Grow, on July 3, 2013.

Please Buy Jayme’s Book!

The e-book and soft cover are available via Amazon, right here!

10 Reasons To Attend Social Media Conferences

04/08/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Amy Howell of Howell Marketing w/ Jayme Soulati of Soulati Media

It’s the Monday after Social Slam, the Knoxville social media conference brainchild of Mark W. Schaefer of {grow}. I have attended three years running, spoke at the first, was a VIP at the second and attended “normal” the third.

You know what? It makes no difference if you attend a conference as someone special (depending on whose eyes are looking) or just yourself. You need to just attend already.

The energy, enthusiasm, ‘raderie, learning (yes, you’re bound to learn at least one thing or two), sisterhood in social are quite intoxicating. Here is my need-to-post-something-quick round-up of why you should attend social media conferences on this scale especially:

1. The chance to meet peeps face-to-face elevates relationship. It’s called relationship marketing (if you have to put it in those terms), and it’s amazing for your psyche.

2. Bloggers and peeps you Skype want to see what you look like and make that connection with a hug, laughs, a photo for the Wall of Fame, and a Facebook or Instagram post or two.

3. You get a Klout bump…ooh, did I say that; the channel everyone loves to snark about? Yep, I did…my score bumped 3 points sitting at the conference tweeting all the trending content from the conference.

4. You can learn. So many people are afraid to invest in tradeshows in fear of “I won’t learn anything.” Au contraire. The ticket price for Social Slam to register is still less than $100; the hotel is about $125; gas for a tank is about $50, and you can eat for $12. It was a sum total of less than $300 to participate, and it’s entirely a business expense.

5. Meeting the community is priceless. Enough said.

6. Ideas proliferate when slammed with that much information all day long; no kidding. You listen, you watch, you nod your head, you shake it in confusion, you get a book signed, you see a young upstart with such drive you want to be him (Christopher Craft, chief visionary of Nao Media); you chat with total strangers on an intellectually strategic level; you solve the world’s problems; you have immediate access and shoulder bumping with every single speaker on stage; and, you take video (watch this space for Soulati Media On The Street from Social Slam!) of one another engaged in all levels of business ‘raderie.

7. You get blog fodder; yes, lots of it.

8. You are inspired to create new products and services in your own business because of the ideas presented by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing and featured in his new book he autographed, The Commitment Engine, Making Work Worth It.

9. You fuel your social media channel with peeps you’ve only met via avatar and 140; and you compare notes on who’s not there with a little gossip behind the scenes.

10. You build your brand and earn new followers and blog readers and respect for what you’re doing in social as a leader, and you realize just how great it truly is to be in this sector building roads for those on which to travel.

Don’t ever think you’re too jaded or knowledgeable that you shouldn’t attend a social media conference; there is always someone to meet the first time, hug in renewal of relationship, and vow to connect with on a deeper level. Your own inspired creativity requires this type of engagement; the cost is well worth the challenge of leaving the office.

Thank you Social Media Club Knoxville and all the faculty, planners, originators, emcee, attendees, and sponsors for making this show one I will always attend in whatever capacity I go.

Attend the New South Digital Marketing Conference, May 17, 2012! Jayme Soulati is on tap as a presenter!

Cyber Security Is The Future

03/28/2013 By Jayme Soulati

All dongles aside, the incident over remarks that included one of those (I had no idea it looked like this for real) by a perky-eared bystander who snapped and posted an image to Twitter of alleged offenders behind her and subsequently jobs were lost over the conundrum (breath), has caused all sorts of crazy cyber-bullying against the female bystander and one of my peers who wrote about the incident.

Still not in the know? You can read all ab out it:

Mark W. Schaefer’s blog post
The letter from Anonymous; however, do not go to its website via Google search as it’s completely full of viruses. (I know, I just tried.)
A wiki, Geek Feminism, with what appears to be a sequential unfolding of the debacle.

And, you know what really sucks? We don’t know the truth; we don’t know who is ultimately responsible — perhaps it’s Anonymous and perhaps not.

Stop Being Naive

What I do know is that we the people can no longer be naive that what we say online is protected and without recourse; that what we do in public surroundings when involving strangers is innocent. It’s not and it’s not.

The scare tactics of hacker groups are real; it is cyber-bullying extraordinaire. Reputations and businesses that don’t play according to cyber rules are being ruined; it’s survival of the fittest and who can survive a cyber attack?

As I was explaining to Amber-Lee Dibble of Pioneer Outfitters on Google+, it’s time to pick the battles, choose carefully how to tread online, know with whom you’re engaging, and throw caution into every word.

Ever wonder how to fight a cyber-attack during which a website crashes and the spam bots destroy the back end with waves of onslaught? I would not have the financial resources or time to devote to managing this type of crisis; in fact, there’s nothing I would be able to do but call in the troops and borrow from the IRA (that’s not the Irish Republican Army).

In a Facebook discussion today, Ms. Kittie Walker, Founder and President of Indigo Girl in London said, “It takes for people to stand up and stand up en masse to fight that kind of bullying. There are plenty of rival sub-culture organizations fighting against Anonymous, but they are employing the same tactics. The global security services and police are fighting Anonymous and they’ve made some inroads, but for every hacker they arrest, a new one pops up.

What’s the likelihood of the masses standing up to them – not big; they are currently seen as modern day Robin Hoods and those that don’t see them that way may take the road that you did when bullied over a review. So whom do you side with? The Government and their agencies that want to restrict the internet in ways that you can’t even imagine (crushing your business just as surely) or the anarchists. Seems to me to be a bit of a loose-loose situation. (Kittie also mentioned she respects Anonymous and I should be prepared to stand by my research.)

Pick your battles carefully – not just the ones that you can win – but where you can make a difference.”

Fighting Cyber Attacks

Pay careful attention to your passwords. The previous school of thought was to do random characters, yet none of us can remember them. The now school of thought is to take a story, the dog ate my homework, and use it as your password e.g. DogAteHomeHah. These resources below are worth a read.

Inc. Magazine on Fighting Hacking

Wired Magazine on Passwords/Hacking

Inc. Magazine: Cyberrisk Insurance

Books on Cybersecurity You May Want To Read

By Jayme Soulati

We’re Drowning In Marketing

03/04/2013 By Jayme Soulati

It’s daunting being a marketer these days. The lexicon in how we market has widened into an array of confusing methods to attract better brand positioning, growth, ROI, influencer authority, social this and that, and consumer loyalty.

The latest favorite is influencer marketing. Last week on this blog, we took an angular look at Google+, Google Authorship and Influence Marketing.

Buy Influencer Marketing Books

Several books written by peers in my own social circles are must reads to keep us thinking strategically and visionary.

You may pre-order Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing (Que Biz-Tech) written by Danny Brown and Sam Fiorella.

They have been writing it up with a large amount of content on blogs, Google+ Communities, and in comments all over. It promises to be a must-buy and read.

Meanwhile, a dear colleague of mine, Mark W. Schaefer, has written a quick read,Return on Influence, The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing, his second book that has hit the corporate world (IBM recently bought 500 copies) and the social media sector by storm.

Because I know all three of these peeps and vouch for their own cred and influence, you ought to consider purchasing these books for your reading pleasure.

Now, back to the topic at hand…If some marketers think they’re drowning, how does a company cope with that?

Does every marketing team need to know every aspect of marketing, or can they learn in a steady trickle?

The good news is, everyone is in the same boat absorbing knowledge and learning new tactics at the same time. How marketers execute on these evolving techniques is how one differentiates.

Here are my thoughts on how companies should stay the course with these basics and never mind the marketing buzz until prepared to address them head on:

Five Marketing Basics

1. Set up a solid team of people with the right mix of marketing for various types of organizations, someone in PR, another knows email and inbound marketing, a copywriter, a social media enthusiast, and someone familiar with advertising for all media.

2. Assess and solidify brand and dust off that mission statement! It’s critical to revisit this to ensure the company is growing in alignment with founders’ goals and vision.

3. Hire Jayme Soulati (shameless, I know) to do your message mapping exercise. No matter if your company is established or just starting, message mapping charts your company’s communication course.

4. Build a responsive website. I’m not talking about a website that looks good on a mobile device; I’m talking about a scalable site that conforms to smart devices and positions calls to action and contact information on the top of the screen followed by all the rest of the goodies. When your company keeps a website that requires visitors to slide windows back and forth, then the message you’re sending is pretty much, “We just don’t care.”

5. Pay attention to social media and engage already. You have to; you just do. In this post-social media adoption era, there are still companies without the basics in place. Companies owe it to consumers to connect via social media channels. If all we get is a direct mail coupon with no other channel, that is grounds for negative online reputation.

Confused about any of the above? Please ask me, I’m right here.

By Jayme Soulati

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