Multitasking and Buzz

March 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I like the Instigator Blog and he has an interesting post on new research around Multitasking and why it makes you less productive.

I do not agree with one of the items on his list to help focus.  Loud Music.  That would be annoying to me and I would get less done.  Must be a personal thing.

I would add to his list the importance of setting a goal to create buzz every day, and specify how and with how much time the day before.  There is no end to the things you CAN do but you still have to do the things that make money first.

Another tip I would add is to decide how many times you need to check your reports and statistics.  I love looking at the numbers, but it can be very distracting on a good day.  I try to look at website trends in the morning when I get to work, just before lunch and at the end of the day.

Go read Ben’s article and see what you think.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

Mindfulness

March 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Today I was working with someone else shooting some video, and he kindly did an endoursement of Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing.  He has a book out too, and it never crossed my mind until after I left to do a similar thing for him.  I liked his book and he was kind enough to involve me in his event and give me free buzz.

It is easy to get wrapped up in things and not be mindful of other people.  In this case, shame on me.  I know better.  I was just too involved in my own story and buzz to see how I could have helped someone else.

Always be mindful of how you can help others.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

Marketing More Powerful than SEO?

March 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

I Really Like You

March 29, 2007 | 1 Comment

Yesterday I found myself in a meeting with a marketing guru that was still trying to get his arms around how to use blogging and other new tools effectively. He has a blog and was surprised Natalie Ferguson from Simple and Loveable had left him a comment. - She is a designer in New Zealand.

I then told him, “Oh yeah, she is great. I really like her and her boyfriend Tim.”

That is the purpose of blogging. I have never met them. We have exchanged some emails, and then we link to each other’s blogs. We do not talk regularly or anything. However, if I could drive an hour or two to New Zealand, I would go visit them.

Keep in mind they have never asked me to link to them. It is like we have mutual respect and appreciation for each other through blogging.

The result for Tim and Natelie is that I was sitting in that meeting, talking about what great people they are and how cool their new company is, Plan HQ with a guy that invests in companies, which is a perfect target for them. Now he is planning on dropping her an email and saying thanks for the comment.

I have talked about conversion before. What do you consider a “win” when someone visits your website or blog? I consider many things a win.

But most of all I have won if you remember me and like me. If you think this topic and what I have to say on it is valuable enough to remember and pay attention to. If you are sitting in a meeting some day and talking about me with others as if we are old friends, yet we have never met. That is what I hope to achieve with blogging.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

Surge in Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing Book Sales

March 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment

There has been a surge in Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing book sales this month including someone walking into our office today and buying a copy for every staff member.  I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks.

A recent comment I got was that the book was very empowering for people that are non-technical and non-marketing.  That is great, because those are the people I wrote it for.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Buzzoodle, Blog 

Improving your Business Culture

March 28, 2007 | 2 Comments

I usually tell people you can create buzz in 10 minutes per day.  That is true, but that is not necessarily optimum.  Little buzz, like commenting on someone’s blog or sending an email to an old friend you have not talked to is not going to change the business unless you get really lucky.  If you do a few extra things like this every day, it will make a difference over time.  If everyone in your organization does this every day, it makes a big difference over time.

So what are some of the things you can do to improve employee moral and get more employees involved with creating buzz?  Here are some ideas.

  • Stress buzz, not sales to your non-sales staff.
  • Set clear guidelines for communications.  What can they talk about on the web and what can’t they?
  • Encourage them regularly without pushing and really praise people that you can see making an effort.
  • Make it fun.  Have a lunch blogging party or after work advocate party.
  • Make it about the employees.  Are they building better relationships and establishing themselves as experts?

These are just some of the ideas you can do to make your business culture become more of a buzz culture.

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Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

Not Freedom of Speech

March 27, 2007 | 1 Comment

Warning:  This link has disturbing images and text: Creating Passionate Users

Kathy Sierra has been getting a series of threatening emails, blog posts and other things done and directed at her.  She very bravely posted them on her blog and she is so scared she cancelled her speaking and blogging.  Reading her post upset me so much it is hard to think about anything else.

I regularly encourage people to build a higher profile.  To blog, to write, etc.  I have seen a few people with good intentions get beat down on the Internet in blogs and message boards, even to the extent of effecting their children.  I have never seen it to the extent of Kathy, and it just makes me very sad.

I hope they find these people and give them the maximum penalty possible.  This not only damaged someone’s life, but created fear for countless other people that may have been thinking about becoming more public via blogging, writing and speaking.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Buzz with Blogs 

Buzzoodle Employee Advocacy vs. Focus

March 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

If there is one apparent flaw in the Buzzoodle marketing strategy, it is the seeming lack of focus.  Buzzoodle’s approach to creating a buzz seems like a shot gun fired in the dark when you first look at it.

If every person in an organization starts buzzing a few minutes per day in their own way, how does that help you reach your target audience?

This of course depends on the business and the product.  If you are a local restaurant and all the employees start telling more local people about it, there is a huge upside right away.  It is a no-brainer.

If you are not sure if this approach will help you, ask yourself some of these questions.

  • Would I benefit from stronger brand awareness? – Word of mouth will add strength to a brand.
  • Would I benefit from employees becoming more involved in representing the company? – This could lead to some people being experts in their field or feeling a stronger sense of pride and ownership in the organization.
  • Is there any possibility of discovering an untapped market?  - Getting your message out to new people in new ways may help you discover a whole marketplace you did not know existed.
  • Would people be more likely to make a purchase from us if they heard about us from several sources? – The likelihood of a purchase being made goes up each time someone hears about you from a new credible source. 
  • Would we benefit from more website traffic? – If your website generates leads for you, it can probably generate a lot more by getting employees involved in the buzz.

Many word of mouth marketing consultants talk about the death of advertising and other such nonsense.  If something is working for you, don’t listen to them.  Instead, continue with your current successful efforts and add word of mouth and online buzz to the mix.  They will play well with each other.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Marketing ROI, Word of Mouth Marketing, Blog 

Happy Belated Blog Birthday to Me

March 23, 2007 | 7 Comments

2cake.jpgYesterday my blog passed the two year mark.  I missed it, but realized it today.

I have written over 630 posts, several of which were very good.  While it is hard to point and say I made a specific amount of money off my blog, it is easy to see all the ways it has made my life better and provided me the opportunity to meet great people.  (And yes, make money)

Since I consider this a big accomplishment (because I watch so many people give up on blogging so quickly) I am going to be selfish and ask for a gift.  If you have a blog, I would like you to add me to your blog roll if we are a good fit, or at least link to me if you never have before and wish me a happy blog birthday.

Or you could buy a copy of Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing . . . if you want to be extra nice.

And thanks for the blog birthday love.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Buzzoodle 

Go Get Highrise Now

March 23, 2007 | 1 Comment

Recently we assessed how we manage our contacts.  Traditionally you have your Outlook contacts and you may have a CRM for sales.  The problem for us is we do not need to sell much, because people come to us.  So the CRM has languished, rarely used.

We have various ways to track advocates, but not a good, centralized way.  Until last night at 11:30 PM when I was on Seth Godin’s Blog and came across Highrise.

Many people are going to look at this and say, “I don’t need another contact manager.”  You are probably right.  However, I feel fairly confident you are not tracking all your advocates and fans in their own database, and that is where I see the big value.

This software has a fully functional free version.  There is absolutely no excuse to not build an advocate database for yourself.  And if you use the email function (drop box) you can quickly forward emails and populate the system with the right contacts. Then you can use the tasks to make sure you are following up regularly.

The funny thing for me is we have a plan on the table for a custom database system geared only towards advocacy…. Did I say on the table?  I mean in the trash.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Networking, Small Business, Interesting Buzz 

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