The other day I was reading in the San Jose Mercury News about how Costco was finally going to optimize its site, Costco.com. It hadn’t focused on or cared about search engine optimization (SEO) at all until it finally realized that competitors like Amazon.com and Walmart.com were eating its lunch online. The company realized that it was leaving a lot of money on the table.

Each week I meet with a variety of business owners, corporate employees, entrepreneurs or managers. SEO is a common topic in these discussions. They’re often curious about how it works and are also frustrated by the whole concept at the same time. If you want a definition, SEO is the art and science of getting web pages or blog posts to rank in Google or the other search engines for keywords that you and your business care about (see also “What is SEO“).

Based on these discussions, the recent Costco article, and the lack of usage and knowledge of SEO in general, here is my conclusion about the state of SEO and business:

Most businesses have no clue about SEO!

There is so much confusion, misinformation and anxiety about this topic that it actually boggles my mind. Google’s in on it. SEO consultants are in on it (sometimes by just trying to teach too much). Website developers are often unwittingly doing it. Pseudo experts are in on it.

I would say that SEO “fluency” is extremely low for most businesses. There are those few that get it and dominate the results and then there are the masses who don’t have any idea and are, unfortunately, missing out on opportunities to get more targeted visitors to their sites.

Question: Why are people so confused about how to get their pages to rank in Google and the other search engines?

Here are some of the reasons. Please add others below in the comments:

1. Misdirection and Subterfuge: Google and the other search engines purposely hide details about their ranking algorithms so people can’t game the system.
2. SEO friendly vs. SEO: Web developers who may not really understand SEO, claim a site is “SEO friendly”, “SEO optimized” or “Includes SEO”. “SEO friendly”, “SEO optimized” or “Includes SEO” have very little meaning if there is no keyword strategy (e.g. what keywords is it optimized for???). Did you talk with your web developer about which products, services, brands or geographies you’re focused on? If not, it’s most likely not optimized for keyword phrases you care about.
3. Smoke and Mirrors: Some companies that offer SEO services use presentations that include lots of smoke, mirrors, and paralysis-inducing levels of detail that leave potential clients so dazed they don’t know which way is up. But they know that they want the SEO pain to end. “Where do I sign to rank #1?!”, they say in frustration.
4. Algorithm change hype cycle: Google’s constant algorithm changes (e.g. “Panda”, “Florida” etc…) make it all seem like a moving target for all but Search Gurus. It’s enough to make any business owner, manager or employee throw up his/her arms and just give up!
5. “Kind of” knowing SEO:  A lot of people “kind of” know SEO. Which means they get that it’s about keywords, content and links. There’s a big gap between this basic knowledge and actually implementing something with impact.
6. SEO Tools: SEO tools are required to measure progress. It’s hard for most regular businesspeople to make an educated buying decision about an SEO Toolset. So most just don’t even bother going there.
7. Delayed Gratification Problem: SEO is not an overnight thing, so people don’t easily associate their actions with results. What’s worse, they may not even know that they’re ranking for certain keywords already! Because of the lack of feedback, they quickly give up and head over to Adwords instead – an expensive replacement, but one that can give instant satisfaction.
8. Lack of Analytics Awareness: People don’t check their website analytics, don’t have analytics, or don’t understand it enough to know what’s working and what’s not.

Why you should care about SEO?

I get 40% of my traffic from search engines (organic, free traffic). That’s great because even if I take a social media vacation, I still have a decent amount of traffic regularly coming to my site, sharing my content, inquiring about help or a partnership, or buying products. That’s just this site, which is in the very competitive space of online marketing/social media.

If you’re a brick and mortar business, it’s even better. You can get regular phone calls, email inquiries or walk-ins directly as a result of better SEO. If you offer products and services that people love – but you just don’t seem to be found easily online – pay attention. One of my bigger sites (that sells products for the construction industry) gets about 90% of its traffic from SEO. After the initial set-up and optimization work, it’s now 100% “set and forget”. I love that.

It’s not rocket science but you will probably need some help…

Let me talk about a concept here that I explain to my clients. This is simplified but it’s one way you can think about SEO:

A beginning…

• If you have a website, you’ve already published content online.
• Phase 1 of SEO is merely optimizing that existing content in a format that Google recognizes and can use. Why waste all of those web pages you’ve worked so hard on by hiding them from Google????
• Of course, you have to optimize for keywords that your customers care about and those usually fall out from your business strategy, the types of products you offer, and your location (if you’re a local business)
• You can learn some of the basics at places like SEOMoz, Seach Engine Land or SEO Basics.

• Phase 2 of SEO is having a keyword strategy and actually creating new pages that focus on your target keyword phrases. You may also rethink some of your existing pages based on your keyword strategy.
• What are target keyword phrases? These can include your most profitable products or services, geographies where you want to sell more of your products/services and sought after brands or product types.

For many businesses that serve a specific niche or geographic area, Phases 1 & 2 can give a nice boost.

In less competitive or niche markets, Phases 1 and 2 (often combined into one project) are enough to start getting you to rank on Page 1 for relevant phrases for your business. You can learn about some of the most important SEO elements on a WordPress website or blog here (SEO for WordPress Workshop). It’s not free but it’s extremely inexpensive for the valuable context that it provides.

Going a lot deeper…

• Phase 3 of SEO gets into link-building, directories, local listings, social media, etc. This is a bigger effort, but if you have the first phases taken care of, you have a great foundation to start from.

Need an SEO Assessment?

One of the most important things is to understand where you’re at today. What keywords do you current rank for? Do people link to your site (helping your SEO)? Are you doing the right things for SEO on your site? And much more. If you’re interested in an assessment with suggested next steps, click on the SEO assessment here.

The Message?

Don’t be afraid of SEO.

There are simple things that you can do that can help most businesses to rank better in the search engines. Learn them, start simple and use SEO tools (ranking, inbound link analysis) and website analytics to measure incremental progress.

Don’t ignore it.

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This post is one of the resources that complements the awesome new manifesto from Danny Iny (The Naked Marketing Manifesto). Get your free copy at: NakedMarketingManifesto.com

Now, read on…

__________________________

We’ve all been there.

We stare at the sales page. We read every bullet. Analyze each component. Each bonus. Each benefit. Each testimonial. The guarantees. The refund policy.

We look at the promise: “This will ABSOLUTELY change you life!”

Really?

It’s the same whether it’s an Internet product, a gym membership, a new car, a consulting deal, or a new piece of software. Replace the sales page above with a brochure, a project proposal, the contract, or the technical specs. We’ll look at the horsepower, features and color options, or the Pilates class list, number of elliptical bikes and spin instructor’s credentials. Or maybe the case studies of similar successful projects or how this software tool will transform our business. Yes, we’ll look at all of this marketing collateral in great detail before buying.

So what goes on during these moments?

It’s the Risk vs. Reward analysis that we run in our heads

Let’s run through an example. Let’s say you’re buying a high-end business coaching program.

What are the risks that…

• It won’t be effective for our business
• I won’t have enough support to actually implement the recommendations
• I won’t have enough access to the head coach (the guru) – instead I’ll be working with less qualified assistants
• I can’t return it or it will be hard to return (they’ll twist my arm not to do it)
• The information will be too basic for me – something I already know
• It will be too advanced for me. So far above my head that it won’t be useful
• I’ll forget that I bought the product and will have wasted the money
• The coach sounds great now, but the nice guy act will end as soon as I buy
• This is a fly-by-night operation
• I’m the only sucker who buys this stuff
• There’s not going to be enough in the program to make it worth all the money I’m shelling out

Just so it’s not all about online marketing, let me give a different example – membership to a new gym.

If you’re going to join a new gym, here are some of the risks that you might consider…

• I’ll never get on the good equipment at the times I can come
• The best classes are always full or at awkward times
• I won’t go because the gym’s just a little too far away ;)
• I’ll be locked into a long contract that I can’t get out of
• The steam room will always be on the fritz
• The place will always be dirty
• The best trainers will be too expensive or unavailable when I need them

You get the point. Note that some of the risks involve our own motivation or follow-through. We are often our own worst enemies for our success.

All Risk and No Reward?

Obviously if it was all risk and no reward, then no one would part with their hard-earned money and the economy would grind to a halt.

So what are the rewards?

The Over-arching Vision of Success

At the end of the day, the ultimate reward needs to be a vision of what the person, company or family can achieve by purchasing this product, service or membership.

• How this Internet product will truly help you generate more leads (for example)
• How this car will make you feel powerful, yet sophisticated
• How this (other) car will make your family life a breeze with the flexibility to carpool the kids to soccer one day, go on a beach vacation the next, and go on a ski trip the day after that
• How the gym membership with all the high tech equipment and top-notch instruction will reshape your body and self-image
• How this consulting project will take away the pain of a business in disarray and reform you into a lean, mean profit-generation machine

This is the vision that people want to believe (and that your product should be able to deliver).

What About The Risks?

Remember all of those nagging doubts (in the form of “risks)? You need some serious firepower to overcome all of those. The more you can load up the benefits side of the equation, the more likely you are to be able to close the deal. The more we can minimize the risks, the more likely the deal is to go through.

Let’s go over the risks we covered before and talk about ways that they can be negated.

• It won’t be effective for our business – Negate: Run a Q&A session and address these types of questions head-on.
• I won’t have enough support to actually implement the recommendations – Negate: Describe the high levels of support or include testimonials that praise the high levels of support.
• I won’t have enough access to the head coach (the guru) – instead I’ll be working with less qualified assistants – Negate: Specify how much time and in what forums the “guru” will be available to work with buyers.
• I can’t return it or it will be hard to return – Negate: Spell out your guarantee, return policy and process very clearly.
• The information will be too basic for me – something I already know – Negate: Go into detail about the complex items that are covered.
• It will be too advanced for me. So far above my head that it won’t be useful – Negate: Tell (true) success stories of people going from newbie to successful.
• I’ll forget that I bought the product and have wasted the money – Negate: Communicate regularly with the members via email so they are reminded to come back to the program. Or ask people to report back on their progress regularly.
• The coach sounds great now, but the nice guy act will end as soon as I buy – Negate: Show the coach as he/she really is in an authentic way so potential clients get a true feel for his/her character.
• This is a fly-by-night operation – Negate: Show evidence of longevity and brand names that you’ve worked with.
• I’m the only sucker who buys this stuff – Negate: Get social proof of past and current buyers. If you can announce actual buyers as they buy, that’s great social proof.
• There’s not going to be enough in the program to make it worth all the money I’m shelling out – Negate: Put in some amazing bonuses. Load up the value of the program.

Other Rewards?

There are other Rewards (Benefits) that people look for or will appreciate hearing about. Here are some common ones:

• It will speed up your progress
• You will learn things you can’t discover on your own
• You will learn about new tools or systems
• You’ll get access to checklists or templates to organize your work and make your life easier
• You’ll make new connections via a forum or network
• The program leaders will help showcase or publicize your site, project or products
• You will get useful feedback or input
• You’ll have the opportunity to establish a relationship with the program leaders
• You’ll have the opportunity to get introduced to influencers or decision-makers

Do You Know Your Potential Customer’s Risk/Reward Thought Process?

You can see how important it is to understand the thought process that potential clients go through before purchasing your products or services. You need this to know your product or service’s risk-reward ratio (in their eyes).

Are there ways you can increase the Rewards or minimize the Risks for your prospects?

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Also, what other Risks often need to be addressed? What are some Rewards that you’ve highlighted or added in to your products to help increase your sales?

______________________

Don’t forget to grab your copy of the Naked Marketing Manifesto.

If you liked this post, please vote it up in the list below (look for the “Scales of Justice” picture). Then, check out the other Naked Marketing  resources after that!

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As I mentioned in earlier posts, Pinterest can be extremely addictive. The platform has millions of hard-core pinners using the platform – adding to their collections, discovering new pins, and connecting with like-minded Pinterest users.

I’ll admit that I’m one of them and I curate a popular “Pinterest Articles and Tips” board (as a collaborative effort), in addition to several other boards.

One of the unique things about Pinterest is that it encourages “Repins”. You can take pins from other people’s Pinterest boards and add them to your own. So what is the etiquette around repinning? Can repinning go to far? Can it turn friends against each other?

Watch this insightful (and extremely funny) video to find out!

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Video source: Comediva

Well, what do you think? Are there any grains of truth to the video? What do you think is the appropriate etiquette around repinning? Let me know in the comments below.

Do you recognize any of these characters in your life?

Related posts:

1. Why Pinterest is Addictive – A Contrarian View
2. My Secret Weapon for Pinterest Content Curation

I have a confession to make to you. My dear blog.

I’ve been cheating on you. Yes, I’ve now written several guest posts on other blogs. I’ve even had writing relationships with Copyblogger, Problogger, Firepole Marketing, DeniseWakeman.com, Basic Blog Tips, Social Buzz Club and some others we can talk about another time..

Sorry.  I’m really sorry.

But there’s more.

I’ve started commenting on other blogs. I’ve even flirted with other blogs by sharing their content in Social Media. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and even Pinterest. I’m sorry but I can’t just share myself only with you.

I must be with these other blogs too.

Why you ask??

Because it’s social. It’s good for business. It helps me connect with these other blogs and their owners. It gives me exposure to a larger audience of readers. It helps me grow as a writer.

I’m sorry but I’m no longer monogamous.

Will you forgive me?

_______________

P.S. You can blame Jon Morrow and his Guest Blogging course for introducing me to this whole new world

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If you’ve got plans to be an author, a speaker or a thought leader, listen up! You may be doing things backwards…

LINEAR – The typical process

1) Build up expertise
2) Write a book or decide to begin speaking
3) Start to build an audience (your platform)

PARALLEL PATH – A better process

1) Build up expertise
2) a) Start building your platform (as soon as you read this post)
2) b) Start writing your book or ramping up your speaking (in parallel to 2)a))

What’s a Platform?

A platform is any mechanism by which you can regularly connect with an audience. It often involves subscribers or members, but it doesn’t have to.

Some examples of platforms:

• An email list – People who subscribe to your email list via email tools such as AWeber, Constant Contact or Mailchimp.
• Blog RSS Subscribers – People who subscribe to receive your blog posts as you publish them via an RSS reader or via email.
• A regular column in a website, newspaper or magazine – A regular gig at a periodical where the subscribers and readers of that periodical regularly read your content.
• Friends, Fans, Followers, Subscribers on Social Media – Your followers in Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest or LinkedIn make up a portion of your platform.
• A Group or Forum – My LinkedIn Small Business Marketing forum is an example of part of my platform. Membership groups that you own or control represent a portion of your platform.
• Borrowed platforms – If you work for a large company, you can leverage their platforms to reach an audience or to direct potential fans to your individual platform.

How do you grow your platform?

First, you need to choose where you’ll be building your platform. Will you have a Facebook Page? How about a blog? This is a great place to build thought leadership, to get your message out, and to build a platform.

A mailing list (using AWeber, Constant Contact, etc.) is generally considered one of the most valuable platforms because you have complete control over your message, you can regularly send offers, provide content or invite people to connect more deeply, and because email subscribers are generally more responsive than other types of connections.

Second, you need to have a platform-growing process. Do you funnel new contacts (offline and online) to your platforms? Do people join or opt-in to your platform when they get there? Why or why not? You need a compelling reason for them to join you…

Third, you need platform-building activities. Are you blogging regularly? Are you guest-blogging on other, popular blogs? Are you public speaking or talking with the press? Are you “borrowing” other people or organization’s platforms.

Platform = Power

The bigger your platform, the more influence you have. The more purchasing power that you have access to. The more fans that you’re connected to who can share your message via social media, email, word-of-mouth or via their own blogs, webinars or presentations. Potential partners will want to talk with you if you have a big platform. Conference organizers will be salivating over you if you have a big platform. Publishing houses will be more apt to look at you if you have an established fan base (platform). You’ll have a lot more leverage with a larger platform.

Why Build My Platform Sooner Than Later?

Platform-building takes time. It’s not something that can be turned on like a switch. Even if you don’t exactly know what you’ll use it for (use it for good, not evil please), start building your platform today!

Like compound interest, grow your platform a few subscribers at a time today to reap the massive benefits and power of your platform tomorrow.

To learn how to build your own author, speaker, thought leader or sales platform,  sign up below to access my free Platform-Building eCourse!

Please email this post or share it with someone who may benefit from learning about Platform-Building. I’m sure they’ll thank you!

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I work with a lot of clients on their business blogs. I also read a lot of blog posts, do a fair share of writing myself, and regularly teach a blog writing workshop. What I’ve discovered in my time blogging is that there are some very common areas that people get wrong or just plain ignore. Sometimes this is intentional – they don’t want to be bothered about one aspect or another. In other cases, they may not be aware that they’re skimping in an important area. So, let’s talk about these three “Blogging #fails” (hashtag for emphasis!).

1) Visuals

Too many times, I see a blog post without any visuals (#fail) or with really low quality or irrelevant visuals. On the other hand, I occasionally see blog posts that have taken the time to carefully select, create or customize a visual just for that post. Well, you don’t have to go that far, but visuals for your blog posts are important.

Why are visuals important?

• Emotion: Pictures often set a tone for your post and trigger an emotional response. No picture = no response.
• Supporting your message: Your picture can quickly reinforce your key message – even before they read your post!
• Social Media thumbnail: When you (or others) share on social media, your picture is often the thumbnail that shows up with the post title. A great picture can get attention and bring people to your post.
• Pinterest: People are collecting (curating) content in Pinterest. You need a (good) picture to have your post shared in Pinterest.

How do I find pictures or graphics?

1. Make it or take it yourself – see examples here of visuals I made or shot: Peter Shankman, Content Curation, Move to WordPress?
2. Stock photo sites like istockphoto, fotalia and dreamstime
3. Creative Commons: Go here and you can use Flickr – just make sure you search for pictures that are licensed for business use

So take some time to get the right picture and don’t just skip it!

2) Closing

Have you ever had a conversation where the energy just dies? The person you’re speaking with seems bored or ready to move on to the next conversation. Or the conversation just trails off. If so, you know how annoying that can be.

A bad blog post closing is like a conversation that trails off awkwardly. Most of us have poured our hearts into the actual post so by the time we reach the end, we may be anxious to wrap up. That’s a mistake.

What I learned from one of my mentors, John Morrow (of Copyblogger and Guest Blogging course), was that getting people into action – getting their “butts off the couch” is something that will get their attention. This is what people will remember and appreciate.

So, get them off their butts! Encourage or challenge them to use what they’re just learned. Have them tell you in the comments what they’ve got planned. Ask them to come back and tell you what they did!

3) Call to action

The third part that is often lacking is the “Call to Action”. In this part of the post, it’s not just about motivating them to get off their butts. This is the part where you try to drive some activity that ties to your business model. In the case of a nonprofit or industry organization, this is something that ties to the goals of the organization.

You can embed your call to action at the appropriate spot in your blog post (in context), in the closing, or after the closing – or in multiple places.

The Call to Action #fails that I see quite often include:

• No call to action
• Too many calls to action – too many choices may cause them to take none!
• Calls to action that are not compelling – you need to provide something that incentivizes them to act
• An unclear call to action – not having a clear “path” to follow will result in low conversion rates
• An unrelated call to action – having a call to action completely unrelated to the topic of the blog can be problematic

Are you doing any of these #fails?

Based on what you see here, which of these #fails have you been guilty of? What are you going to do about it going forward? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. I also don’t pretend to have all the answers. Do you see other common #fails out there?

Will you join me for a blog writing workshop?

Oh, and while we’re at it, I’m teaching a free Blog Writing Workshop for the Social Buzz Club on May 1st where we’ll create a blog post together. Will you join me there? Click here to learn more: Blogging Made Easy – Blog Writing Workshop

____________________________________

Related posts:

1. What do Superman, Freddy Krueger and a Blogging Process Freak have in common?
2. Blogging Mistakes & Solutions From 513 Of My Closest Friends (#blogchat)

Facebook is the Darling

Facebook is the social media and soon-to-be stock market darling. While other social media platforms have gotten a lot of buzz, Facebook has captured serious attention from brands, marketers, app developers and investors because there’s a lot of money being made on the platform – and people expect this to continue.

The platform requires some effort (and investment)

Of course, Facebook requires work. Not only do companies need to develop and promote their Fan Pages, but Facebook’s ever-evolving technical specs require repeated attention and occasional rework.

The Facebook ecosystem and the army of app developers

While some social media platforms are fairly self-contained, Facebook has a symbiotic relationship with an army of application (“app”) developers who add significant value to the platform…and who, in turn, are able to reap some of the benefits of Facebook’s growth.

Necessary for Facebook success

It turns out that, in order to succeed in Facebook, companies need access to the advanced capabilities that apps provide. These apps help companies customize their Fan Pages, to add custom “Tabs” (or pages) and to add advanced capabilities via specialized apps such as video players, contests, fan-only content, email opt-in forms, or integrations with other social media platforms like Pinterest and Twitter.

How do you sort through the options?

There are thousands of apps available that do a variety of tasks required (or desired) by individuals or companies. In fact, because there’s no highly controlled “app store”, a la Apple, it can be pretty hard to find apps that deliver the most important elements. Searching on Google makes this task nearly impossible and searching on Facebook is almost as bad.

With that in mind, I did some research, checked with members of the Facebook #Toolschat group, did some testing, and came up with this set of Facebook Fan Page Design and Customization application options. I’ve included a video with each so you can get a flavor for their application – as told by the company themselves. I tried to find a video that included information about post-Timeline functionality. I also included some basics on pricing and whether they have a free option or not.

The 8 Facebook Fan Page Design Applications

So here are the eight options. Let me know in the comments which ones you use, what you like/don’t like about them and any others that you’d suggest. They are in no particular order.

1) Lujure

Lujure has a free option available and plans start at $30/month. This company is getting a lot of buzz and in addition to their free option, they just released their less expensive version (the one at ~$30/month).

Visit Lujure here.

2) Shortstack

Shortstack is the company that several people mentioned when I asked for a favorite Fan Page app in the #Toolchat group that I’m a member of.  Shortstack has a free option available and plans start at $15/month.

Visit Shortstack here.

3) Tabsite

Tabsite is the custom tab application that I’ve experimented with the most. It worked well for my earlier needs and has a free option available (with some limits to the functionality, like most free versions of apps have). Paid plans start at $5/month.

Visit Tabsite here.

4) Fan Page Engine

Fan Page Engine is one option that I found via some targeted Google searches. I include it here because it’s one of the few apps that don’t have a subscription pricing plan. You pay for a package that includes a certain number of templates, tabs and other options and licenses (e.g. a developer license includes white label branding). Packages start at $27 (updated – see comments).

Visit Fan Page Engine here.

5) Dojo

Dojo is a late entry that was recommended by one of my contacts. I liked the look of it – have a look for yourself! There’s a free option for pages with less than 200 fans. Paid plans start at $19.95 per month.

Visit Dojo here.

6) North Social

North Social is a popular Facebook application development company that has both standard packages (with several options) and custom fan page options. For their standard platform, they have a 14 day free trial available and the paid plans start at $19.99/month.

Visit North Social here.

7) Social Page Builder

Social Page Builder is another fan page design platform that has fairly inexpensive options. A free plan available while paid plans start at $10/month.

Visit Social Page Builder here.

8) Pagemodo

PageModo is another of the options that I’ve experimented with. When I was working with it, it had some fairly robust and attractive templates. Things change fast, so I’m sure they have even more options available now for you to try out. They have a free option and paid plans start at $6.25/month.

Visit PageModo here.

Which one are you using?

Which option are you using to add interactivity and functionality to your business page? Let me know in the comments what you like/don’t like about the ones you’ve used and feel free to mention other ones that you consider to be worthwhile options.

If you found this to be a useful resource, please share it with your friends! Click here to Tweet it (you can edit the Tweet).

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Blog World is a great event. I had the opportunity attend my first Blog World (in Los Angeles) in November of last year and I got a lot out of the event from both the business and personal perspectives. What I learned though, is that without proper (and early) planning, most of us will not really take advantage of all of the opportunities that Blog World New York presents.

Before the Conference

One of the biggest mistakes I made for Blog World LA was not taking enough advantage of the pre-conference networking and of not doing enough advance planning.  Luckily I still got a ton out of the event, including getting some interviews, meeting some amazing people, writing up blog posts that helped quite a few people, and getting my photography featured on blogs or social media sites around the web.

So how can you use pre-planning to your advantage?

Take Advantage of pre-event social media opportunities

There is a lot of activity on social media leading up to the event. You have opportunities to connect with people, to be updated on events and opportunities and to learn from or meet some of the speakers. Here are some of the ways you can get more connected on social media.

Official Blog World Social Media

• Blog World social networking forum (you get access once you register)
• Blog World Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest
• Blog World Twitter chats (#BWEchat) leading up to the event
• Know, Follow and Use the Blog World NY Hashtag (#BWENY)
• Follow the Blog World staff on Twitter: @blogworld, @blogworldexpo, @dave_blogworld, @alison_boyer, @nikkikatz, @debng (and more…)

Unofficial Blog World Conversations and Resources

• Connect with people who are going (find them via the resources above or via the hashtag)
• Connect with or learn more about the speakers
• Sign up for unofficial attendee lists that people post (Note: Put your name and Twitter handle in the comments if you’re attending BlogWorld New York and want to connect with other attendees)
• Look for unofficial events planned around the conference

Determine your conference goals

Determine your main goals for the conference. Are you there to learn? If so, are there specific things you want to take away? Are you there to promote your business? Are you there to make new connections? Obviously, most of us do a combination of these things, but determine what you most want to get out of the event and plan your activities around this.

Based on those goals, what advance planning do you need? I’ll talk about some of that below.

Find out who’s going to be there

One of the basic things you should start to do in advance is to find out who’s going to be attending or speaking at the event. Are key partners or customers going to be there? Are thought leaders that you want to connect with going to be there? How about other “kindred spirits” or people in your industry?

You can use the list on the Blog World site to find out about the speakers. Connecting via social media as discussed above will help you find out who else is going.

Are you doing interviews or having meetings?

If so, try to set these up in advance. You’ll find that while you’re there, it’s very hard to opportunistically meet people for an interview. The further in advance you set it up, the better. You may want to set times just before or after the conference if possible.

Get your equipment in place

One of the things I discovered is that trying to find specialized video and sound equipment at the last minute is not easy – even in a big city like LA or New York. If you’re doing interviews, blogging, photography or video, make sure you have your equipment in place. Some ideas:

Get your equipment in place early!

• Video camera
• Microphone
• DSLR camera
• Zoom lens
• Tripod
• Voice recorder (for back-up recording of interviews)
• Laptop
• Smart phone (for Tweets/Social Media)
• Backpack (for equipment and swag)
• Notepad
• Chargers and cords for all

Optimize your timing and logistics

Take advantage of pre-conference events (and book your flights accordingly)

If you want to interview people or go to pre-event parties or get-togethers, consider getting there a day early or leaving a day later. For example, last year I found out about several events taking place the day and night before Blog World LA (for example, Darren Rowse was participating in the LA photo walk last year and inviting people to join him). Unfortunately I already had other plans but next time I would leave some flexibility to network in a more relaxed environment.

Book your hotels early

Book early to get the best rates and location close to the event or that has a shuttle. Use the Blog World recommended hotels, your hotel points, or other means to get the best deal.

Upon Arrival / During the Conference

Figure out the events, shuttles and timing

Just before the conference, make sure you know the timing of the various events (official and unofficial). Make sure you know when the shuttles leave that first morning of Day 1 and where it leaves from. Plan to go early for Day 1 so you don’t miss part of the first presentation due to transportation and check-in delays.

Also, check out the map so you have a feel for the event space and where all the different activities are taking place. The last thing you want to be doing is rushing around trying to figure out where you’re going.

The directory, your faithful companion

When you get to the conference

• Check in right away
• Get the Wifi password
• Figure out the first presentation you’re going to
• If you want to shoot pictures or video, sit up front
• If you need a cord, make sure you get a spot early

Network both strategically and opportunistically

The conference will fly by, so you may not want to just let things fall into place. If you had plans to connect with specific people, make sure you make arrangements to meet them. Or if it’s a speaker, figure out where/when they’re speaking. The few minutes before or after they speak can be a good time to quickly connect (but don’t distract or nag them)!

Also, take the opportunity to meet your neighbors at presentations or people at your tables over meals or breaks. I’ve met some great people via these chance meetings.

Pick topics based on your goals

Go to topics that will best meet your goals. If you’re writing up posts about the event in order to increase visibility for your blog, you may want to steer towards the hot topics or speakers (or the ones that your audience cares the most about or could learn the most from). If you’re trying to learn specific things to help your business, make sure you pick the topics and speakers that can help you meet those goals. Don’t get swayed by the popular topics if they’re not going to help you move forward.

Learn about new products, services and tools

Use the exhibit hall with various vendors as an opportunity to learn about new products that may be able to help your business. Also, consider these companies as potential partners. Do they take guest posts on their blogs? Are there other ways you can work together? You’ll also be able to collect plenty of swag items, trial memberships or discounts here – you should see several opportunities to win an iPad (I haven’t won one yet…).

Do some interviews

If one of your goals is to get an interview, keep trying to set that up (obviously the best is if you reach out to them before Blog World). Be respectful of people’s time though. If they can’t fit in an interview or are not willing to do an impromptu one, be understanding. Perhaps they can do one later via Skype or phone. Don’t consider this the only opportunity to interview them.

Here’s an interview I did with the Content Marketing Institute’s Joe Pulizzi at Blog World LA:

• What is Content Marketing? Interview with Joe Pulizzi

Write your blog posts

One way to get your blog noticed is to write up a blog post based on one of the presentations or keynotes that you got a lot out of. Or you can write a post about the entire conference or highlights from it. I’m not a big fan of live-blogging myself, but you can always do that as well, if that’s your thing. My favorite style is to take good notes and then write up the post quickly afterward (usually that night) while it’s still fresh.

Here are two posts I wrote from last year’s event:

• 19 Lessons From Peter Shankman – Blog World LA Keynote
• Google+ for Business – Guy Kawasaki & Chris Brogan

Collect physical and digital “artifacts”

One of the ways I like to make my posts stand out is by getting pictures, video and items (that I can photograph later) to make the event come alive. Consider what artifacts you can collect to spice up your coverage. In fact, a few of my pictures ended up on other blogs and social media pages. A couple of examples:

• Jay Baer’s Convince and Convert Blog
• Guy Kawasaki’s Google Plus Page

Share via social media

During the presentations, you can share lessons learned, pictures or other details on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Google+. When you Tweet, don’t forget to use the conference hashtag! This is a way to get noticed by other attendees or by the BlogWorld team.

Participate in the extracurricular activities

There are a lot of BlogWorld sponsored events or events sponsored by other companies. These can include things like breakfasts, cocktail hours and dinners. Be on the lookout for notifications from Blog World or from some of the sponsors or other companies (e.g. Social Media Examiner had a breakfast last year).

After the Conference

After the conference ends, take advantage of the connections and lessons that you gained from the conference. Also, make sure to get your own content out and shared!

Get your blog posts out

You have to get your blog posts, videos or pictures posted and shared within the first few days of the close of the conference. That’s when people still have that “conference buzz” and when people are collecting links of articles about the conference and promoting them.

Make sure to alert the conference organizers and people mentioned that you’ve written a post that includes them.

When you get your content out, make sure to let your subjects know so they can share too...

Connect with other bloggers who have written about the event

Link to their posts, share them on social media and comment on them. This is a great way to make connections with other bloggers.

Solidify your new connections

Follow the social media profiles of those people you met. Share their good content, schedule those interviews or meetings and follow through with any commitments. Do you have joint venture opportunities to pursue? How about guest blogging opportunities?

Put your new strategies into your planning process

I’m sure you’ve picked up a lot of new strategies, ideas and tools that can help your business. If you don’t put them into your planning, many of these will go by the wayside. So, make sure you document the key items you’ll focus on and put them into your plan.

Take advantage of the Virtual Ticket

Whether you’re attending or not, consider getting the Virtual Ticket (so you can watch the event online, on demand). There are a lot of great presentations that you weren’t able to attend, so this is a great way to watch those online. Also, if you want to go back through any of the ones you did attend and learned a lot from, this is a great way to review those key points or strategies.

Are you going?

Will you make Blog World New York this year or get the Virtual Ticket? A little tip… you can still write winning blog posts about a keynote or presentation even if you don’t attend it. Anyway, look out for me there!

What did I miss?

I’m sure I missed a lot of great tips for getting the most out of Blog World New York.
What would you add?

Are you attending Blog World New York? If so, put your Name and Twitter @name in the comments section if you want to connect with other attendees.

Related posts:

1. Blog World LA Photos & Video
2. The Ultimate Pinterest Marketing Resource Guide (89 Helpful Resources)

In this short video I’ll show you how to add a video to your WordPress Blog.

Here are the basic steps:

• Find the video in YouTube
• Click “share” at the bottom of the video
• Click the “embed” button
• Copy the code that you find there (you can adjust sizes to fit your site)
• Create a new post or page and go the HTML side of the editor (not visual)
• Write a short intro like I did here
• Paste the code into the “html” section
• Publish and you’re done!

Was this helpful?

Let me know in the comments if you found this helpful. Also, let me know what else you’d like to learn about…

Related posts:

1. How to Add a YouTube Video to Facebook
2. 7 Essential Elements of a Blog Post (Video)

I was at a Meetup in San Francisco tonight where one of the things that people wanted to find out about was how to do video screen capture and editing. Mainly, they wanted to know which tools are available that are not prohibitively expensive or complex. Clearly this is a big need so I quickly pulled together this post in order to share what I use (as well as other popular options).

Screenflow (for Mac):

Screenflow is the main video screen capture and video editing tool that I use at least once per week. I’m really happy about how easy it is to do basic edits to my videos and screen captures (as compared to high end and more expensive and complicated video editing tools like Final Cut Pro). Here’s one example of a 7 Essential Elements of a Blog Post video that I shot, edited and posted to YouTube using this tool. Who told me about it? Michael Higashi, Video Production Expert and head of Electrify Media (and my brother-in-law). I’m a huge fan of Screenflow and an affiliate.

Camtasia (for PC or Mac):

If you have a PC, you can take a look at Camtasia. Many of the top online marketers use Camtasia for PC for video screen capture and video editing. I haven’t heard any pros or cons of the Mac version. Where I first heard about Camtasia? From David Frey.

Jing (online, PC or Mac):

Jing is an awesome tool to capture and share (online) short videos and pictures. One great usage is to create a quick tutorial video and to send it your client or to post it to your website. The free version is continuing but they’re closing up their pro (paid) service and replacing it with Snagit (see below). Who turned me onto Jing? Maruxa Murphy, who I worked with on the Business Blogging Telesummit.

Snagit (PC or Mac):

The paid, more robust video and picture screen capture capabilities of Jing Pro have been integrated into Snagit. I haven’t used it but it seems to have very good reviews.

Screenr (online, PC or Mac):

Screenr is a free video screen capture tool that allows for easy sharing online (you get a link of the video that is hosted on screener). Similar to Jing, this is great tool for creating quick tutorial videos and then sending out a link to your client (or posting the link to your website). Who told me about Screenr? George Kao, Social Media Coach.

Bonus: Skype Interview Recorder…

eCamm Call Recorder (Mac only):

If you want to do a Skype Interview like the pros, this is the Skype video screen capture tool for you. Who turned me on to eCamm’s Skype recorder? Miss Krizia of the Women’s Empowerment HQ (you can see my interview at that link).

Was this helpful?

I hope this resource is helpful and if you did, please share it.

Are there other similar tools that you recommend?

Related posts:

1. How to Add a YouTube Video to Facebook