Izeafest 2009 – Notes from @prtini

Ted Murphy – Keynote

Brands propel business – driving traffic back to main site

Traffic driven by conversations and bonds from conversations

you’re having

Brand Promise

o Personal branding examples:

Problogger – being useful, educational

Ted Murphy – fun loving, running, crazy, leader, tweeter,

etc

Gary Vee – energy, “crush it”

o Need a personal branding statement

Gary Vee: Crush It

Ted: Disruption with a smile

Mike: Own your 30 lines.

Identity

o Name

Proper name vs. persona

Things to consider: domains, twitter profile,

Facebook page, YouTube

Goal: Own the search for your name.

o Design

Logo is the single unifier

Common logo mistakes:

Designing a logo if you’re not a designer

Using clipart as your logo

Using a photo of yourself

Creating a logo that only works in full color

Photos: “Quality is your friend”

Hire a professional

Capture your personality

Get the rights for publication in all media

Blog – needs to be as professional as everything else

you do

Example: The Pioneer Women

Common mistakes:

Using a common template

Designing a blog if your not a designer

Going crazy with display ads

Link content with display advertising

Secret: Coordinate

o Communication style

Be consistent with your tone

Define your look

o Embodiment

Be just as awesome in real life

Contribution

o How you make a difference

o Contribute things you are passionate about and good at

o Primary and secondary (job, talent, etc)

Promotion

o Think of personal brand like a business

o Invest in yourself

Monetization

Brian Clark (@copyblogger) -- Traffic 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←

← 3 steps to authority:

Viral content

o Value – What others perceive as valuable

o Focus – know what you’re trying to teach or communicate,

and stay laser-focused on that message. Otherwise, you’re

attracting bad copy.

Start with the end in mind

Don’t stray just for traffic – it’s a self-defeating exercise

o Headlines – in an attn environment, a unique, ultra-specific

promise of valuable can’t-miss content

If they think they’ll read it later, they won’t. They need

to be drawn in immediately

o Hooks – attract attention and increase engagement with a

unique approach

Don’t pander to everyone with your hook

Social media content promotion

o “Nothing spreads on its own unless it does”

o Other blogs – create relationships with other bloggers in your

niche by participating in the comments; do something for

them first before asking for a link

o Social media content hubs – traffic distribution hubs driven by

voting and bookmarking (Digg, Delicious, Reddit,

Stumbleupon, etc)

ZenHabits built his blog off of this

You’re after links – they bring direct traffic

Was primary focus 2 years ago; now Brian doesn’t even

focus on it

o Social networking – build and leverage your network (e.g.,

Twitter)

Choose 1 platform and own it, build and build, work it.

Brian chose Twitter (doesn’t see value from FB). A lot of

blog content shared on Twitter is marketing-related

Got fans on the blog? Drive to Twitter … and vica

versa.

“From a pure content marketing standpoint,

retweets are what you live for”

Find valuable content that fits into 140 characters

– anything related to your core purpose. It’s about

value.

SEO

o Search engines love a lot of content

o It’s the last step. It doesn’t need to be done while you’re

creating the content.

Create the best headline that will attract readers

o 4 factors:

Clean code

Killer content

SEO copywriting – the right keywords in the right place

Titles, URLs (shorter=better), subheads, internal

links

“Writing for people or writing for search engines?

People use search engines. You’re always writing

for people.”

Use keywords and synonyms in subheads

Don’t feel bad about repeating yourself. But,

always link to previous article. Then, you’re in

control of the anchor text

User experience

Design matters

o Try to get keywords right in the beginning. You want people to

link to you using the right anchor text

o 58% of SEO has nothing to do with the text on the page

“I don’t care about traffic; I care about subscribers.”

← Resources:

Google “viral copy”

Google “authority rules”

SEO (@sugarrae and @graywolf) 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←← Tips about SEO:

Write for words people will search

o Those need to be in the title tags

When blogging, you either want categories OR tags to categorize

o Index those, not the date

o Funnel all links to one section

o Pick which search engines will index and block the rest

.edu and .gov sites carry more weight

If Google doesn’t value any of your links, you need to “get noticed”

– create some “link bait” or star power

o Need to get trusted authority

The point of search engines is to help people who don’t know who

you are – not people who already know you.

Don’t Make Me Think – the more questions you make a user ask, the

more likely they’re going to leave

SPAM: “Sites Posted Above Mine”

Custom Query String: Wordpress plug in that shows specific number

of categories/pages

Yoast.com – best SEO plugins for Wordpress out there. Also offers an e-

newsletter

Personal Branding on Twitter (@prsarahevans)Heather Biddulph

←← What works?

Hedgehog concept – (Good to Great) Be the best at something.

Two rules:

o Build, build, build

o What’s in it for me?

The best time to build a network is when you don’t need one.

←← Building a brand via:

Trust

Fan base

Credibility

Niche

Expert

←← What to share:

Tools and news

Personality

Interaction

←← Developing a strategy:

Who are you/your brand?

Who do you want to communicate with?

What do you want to accomplish?

← What’s your umbrella?

Increase network & personal connections

Improve relations between PR, bloggers and journos

Better the nonprofit world

If something doesn’t fall under the umbrella, don’t do it. The worst

thing you can do is make a promise you can’t keep.

←← Never underestimate the value of a strong email distribution list

←

Social Media Promotion 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←← Lucretia Pruitt @geekmommy

← David Binkowski @dbinkowski

← Chris Heuer @chrisheuer

← Wendy Piersall @emom

← Warren Whitlock @warenwhitlock

←← Key takeaways:

Social media is very situational. Want to do things right in the way

the market approves of.

We want to buy from people we know, like and trust

What we’re doing now is no different than what good businesses

have been doing forever.

Do you need a personal brand?

o Yes, if you need to develop business, be a brand ambassador,

etc

o No, if you’re building an affiliate site or some other content-

driven site

Personal brand is a nice buzz word. It’s your reputation. If you’re

trying to develop a brand that isn’t who you are, that’s a problem.

“Don’t become somebody you’re not, just to fit the personal brand

you designed.”

Best way to get noticed: Organically and naturally

Get out and meet people.

Find out what cause people care about

o Taking traditional community relations online

Promote other people. What can I do to give to help other people? If

you’re not getting enough, give more.

Look, listen, learn, join, lead. Get prepared to be the leader. Earn

trust over time.

The pitch doesn’t matter. Who are you? Why should I trust you?

Use the su.pr – the Stumbleupon link shortner

When the telephone started, people dictated what they wanted

said. When email originated, people thought they didn’t have time

for that either.

Comes down to innovation. Find the unmet need.

Not about your time commitment, it’s about your commitment over

time.

Is a newsletter part of social media? Definitions don’t matter. Chris

says it’s media that can be shared, so sure. Social media isn’t the

object of the tool – it’s what we do with it.

Test & learn

Reach matters, but feedback is critical. Qualitative.

Time of the day: What’s the best?

o Su.pr will give you day parts – best time to tweet

o 8:30-9:15, around lunch and later in the day is best

o But, depends who you’re trying to reach. GNO is 9-11 p.m.

o Check Analytics and see when your peak is. That’s when you

should push your efforts.

o Top bloggers will follow the media cycle. Throw-away news:

Friday evening. Big news: Monday or Tuesday morning.

Fail fast.

Influence (Aaron Brazell @technosailor) 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←← How we deal with people impacts how we get things done

It doesn’t matter if you’re a rock star or not – it’s not about you,

your celebrity

←← There’s a difference between being a celebrity and influencer

Celebrity will get you attention right now

Influencer will get you attention long-term

←← What’s the mark of an influencer?

A person who is hungry – wants to know as much as they can about

the agenda, cause, etc

o No one cares about what you already know. You want to know

more.

o Not about what you can do – it’s about how much you want to

know.

Create conversations, situations, environments that allow you to be

effective.

o Create environments where people want to know what you’re

saying

Respond

o Big difference between response (thoughtful) and reaction

(knee-jerk)

If you want to be an influencer, you can’t react. You

have to respond.

o Allies – you have to build alliances with people. You can’t do it

on your own.

o Quality

o Transparency

Do what you say, say what you do.

People know what they’re going to get, where you’re

coming from

Transparency build trust

Brand is not a logo or a look. Brand = trust.

o Charisma influences people.

Know how to talk to people

o Unsung

People who just do what they do because it makes a

difference. They’re not out to be a hero

Love what they do … and they just do it

o Inspire

←← @1stmeritbank – Aaron had a problem with his bank. Complained on

Twitter, they responded. DMd him a couple times to follow up. They built

trust with Aaron by responding and following up with him.

http://technosailor.com/2009/07/10/first-mariner-bank-a-new-shining-star-in-

social-media-pr/

Navigating & Networking (@lizstrauss) 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←← The Internet works the same way as real life, but with a slightly

different culture because we can’t see each other

← Be who you are – consistently

←← If you want to get more people to come to your blog, be there. Be the

person behind the screen.

←← Internet-famous is different than Oprah-famous

There was never a perception of being able to reach Oprah

Online, people expect to be able to reach you

←← Evolution of a blogger

Enthusiastic blogger

Disillusioned learner – around 6-9 months

“I’m a sham” – people talk to you like you’re an expert, but you

don’t think you are.

o Not true. Everyone brings something to the Internet.

←← Be as positive on the “back channel” (DMs, emails) intercoms as you

are on the front channel (public tweets, messages)

←← Not sure what your passion is? What are you always talking about?

What do people ask you for help with? What problem are you solving?

Solve your problem for other people. Solve it for yourself first, then

be generous about solving it for other people.

←← There’s a difference between helping people (for free) and “doing

things” (which should be for payment)

←← Playing vs. playing for keeps

If you don’t have a goal for your blog, get one.

If you’re going to blog for business, play for keeps. Own it.

Leave space for the conversation – ask questions, invite guest-posters, etc

What Advertisers Want 10/3/09 4:35 PM

←← Brett Bumeter @brettbum

← George Smith @georgegsmithjr

← John Andrews @katadhin

← Jeff Jaffe @jaffejuice

← Zena West @zenawest

←← Advertisers aren’t sure what they want yet from bloggers

←← Challenge: Thinking about new media with traditional media lenses

←← As efficiency grows, as advertisers learn what’s effective in this case,

you’ll see bigger budgets

←← Whether you have 2 people talking about something, or 200,000, it’s

still a conversation.

Use blogs, twitter, etc to educate, provide customer service, give

product info

←← From a big-brand perspective, how do you find the right bloggers?

Assess the content strategy and consistency. Does that match up

with the brand?

Connection, passion, not just about the traffic numbers

←← Companies can’t outsource everything to PR, marcom firms. “If you

want to be involved in the social space, you have to participate.”

←← Advertisers want to see quality themes – not just the basic, free

templates

←← The only currency that exists in the blogosphere is currency

←← Sponsorship vs. advertisement

←← Bring your community in on the program. If you’re reviewing a product,

ask for a second to give away to your readers.

←← Marketing is a commitment, not a campaign

←← The mommy blogging concept works because moms (and dads) are

the portal into the home.

←← When trying to show value as a potential advertising channel, use case

studies, results.

←← If you’re asked to review something that you don’t like, keep the

review straightforward, simple. Offer suggestions. “Keep it above board.”

Give at least three things that the company could have done better

If you only give 5-star reviews, you’ll lose credibility

If you’re offering a negative review, it’s nice to give your product

contact a heads up

A product review is not an advertorial or an advertisement

Consider using video for reviews

Chris Brogan 10/3/09 4:35 PM

← Think of “you, the brand” like a 360-degree business

The NASCAR-ification of the brand

1950-2006 advertising – stick a famous person next to a product

Now: What are you willing to represent

←← Jay-Z moved from music to businessman

←← If you’re going to share yourself with other brands, blogs – bring it back

to your home base. Start to build your own equity

←← Social media makes real things happen

Print ads aren’t pulling, circulation is down – need to find new ways

of doing things

←← Who’s my audience? The only difference between an audience and a

community is the way the chairs are facing

←

← Trade pubs are the only kinds of publications still making $$ because

they align with a very specific audience

Find people who have a passion; better= find people with passion

and money

← Be everywhere.

Odds are, you’re not commenting enough. Comment in heartfelt

way, not in ways that only serve your agenda

← Be helpful.

Write about other people and what they can do with that info

Give your content “handles” – give someone something they can

use and they’ll come back for more.

Be aware. Not self-involved.

← Be the priest. Build the church.

Make a movement happen. Be at the center – empower others to do

really good stuff.

Make people feel like they’re on the inside

← Be there before the sale.

It’s easier to sell on the inside, to people who know you.

← This is farming, not manufacturing. It’s a slower process.

← Don’t be the SM person. SM person will get cut. And, it’s stands out

apart from the company, instead of being integrated fully into the business

←← The DNA of Disruption

Don’t wait for people to give you permission to do stuff

Are you getting ideas from outside?

Stop. Collaborate. And Listen.

Can you be the fringe? Can you cut out other people’s messes?

← Take initiative. Just do.

Start with a goal if you’re going to make a business out of it. Have

many paths to achieve the goal.

← Assess often.

←← Don’t fall in love with your own idea so much that you don’t see

another way to do it.

←← It’s not about the tools – it about connecting to other people.