Jason Keath always puts on an incredible conference. I’ve worked with him quite a bit the last few years and it always amazes me how skilled he is as a content curator. He chooses great content for his blog. But his social media conferences are downright amazing. He pulls together incredibly smart people who are fantastically skilled presenters.

This year, my work with the event was mostly behind the scenes. Primarily, I had the pleasure of catching several of the speakers and interviewing them as soon as their presentations were over. This included Chris Brogan, and the key social media managers for Jet Blue and ESPN. I tried to come up with good behind-the-scenes questions for each of them.

It was very enjoyable and interesting. I’m hoping Jason shares the videos online soon. If you want to watch them, just sign up for the Social Fresh email newsletter to find out when they are available.

So, what did I learn from Social Fresh this year?

The title of this post was the teaser. Here’s the explanation…

This year, several of the speakers in one way or another explained that “digital marketers” need to think less about “marketing the business” and think about “marketing the marketing”. Confused? Hang with me here…

What they really mean is that people are not interacting with businesses. But they are interacting with content. But not just content. They interact with quality resources, topics that inspire, and useful utilities. Jay Baer had a great presentation (and an upcoming book) on that last topic, called “Youtility”.

Marketing your business is hard and not very effective. Marketing these things (your marketing) is much easier.

But it’s not just this front end marketing that is two-step. I had a great conversation with another speaker, Ryan Cohn. He’s a Facebook advertising guru and a pleasure to chat with. (I originally met him online through the SF Facebook Ads conference and online portal.)

Ryan explained that the true power of Facebook is not just about getting likes, comments, and shares. The real power is when someone shares your post and people like or comment on THAT. In other words, when people share your share. He explained that it is not as easy to measure. However, Facebook weighs that heavily into the PTAT (People Talking About This) score.

That makes sense, right? Think about it. People may like, comment, or share something you do just because they like YOU or your BUSINESS. But when they share it and their friends like what that share, that means those people actually like your CONTENT, not just YOU. It’s a strong indicator of quality content.

So let’s sketch this out.

Online Marketing started as this…

Market -> Business

and has evolved into this…

Market -> Business -> Share

But I think we’re now evolving quickly into this…

Market -> Marketing -> Business -> Share -> Sharing the Share

Got it now? Effective Marketing is Getting Wider!

I don’t think this phenom is isolated to Social Media, either.

Let’s talk about Search Engine Optimization. For years, we’ve been trying to get links for rankings. But we’re moving away from that. It’s too difficult and often not a good use of time. We’re now creating more content. The better the content, the links just come natural to that content. That content typically gets shared more as well. In my opinion, it looks more like this…

Market -> Online Content -> Links ->  Rankings -> Business

Effective Internet marketing is getting wider!

This is going to be especially true as we move more toward mobile marketing. Ads don’t work. Phones are more personal. We need to push our useful content and “Youtilities” to reach these people.

Is this harder or easier? I’m not sure. There’s more steps, that’s for sure. There may be a greater need for creativity (perhaps).  However, when I asked Jay Baer about this, he felt that it may not require as much creativity if you follow the correct process.

But one thing is for sure. It requires we know our target audience better than ever.

That’s what I learned at Social Fresh East this year.

Agree? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

As of next week, I’ll be joining the team at Ephricon, a local Marketing Agency focused on SEO.

This was not something I was expecting, but the own Jon Payne approached me about a month ago asking if I knew anyone that could fill a role he needed. (I get questions like that a lot because of having several students and colleagues that know and learn SEO.) I’ve known Jon for several years now and have respected his agency.  It has a great reputation.  I also personally know several members of his staff and like them very much.

But I did not know anyone that could fill the role he had in mind.

On his site, it is listed as:

Director of Internet Marketing Services
Location: Charlotte, NC

This is a senior-level position that will oversee the delivery of all client services. The position is responsible for “what we do”, “how we do it” and must ensure the overall quality and effectiveness of our service and the results we produce for all clients. This position will help kick off campaigns for new clients, advise on strategy, manage a team of internet marketing professionals, and ensure the success and satisfaction of existing clients. You must be passionate about internet marketing, and you must have a gift for explaining the various components to clients, prospects and new hires.

Your job is to:
• Oversee the successful delivery of all client services
• Manage team of 5-8 Campaign Managers
• Develop and refine tools, processes and systems related to all client services
• Assist in the development of client strategy
• Ensure satisfaction of all clients

However, after talking with him more, the opportunity sure sounded interesting. We got together a few times in person, and the rest is history. I’m in. I can’t wait.  I start on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.

Speaking as an entrepreneur, it’s not too often that a job comes along that is really exciting. Working for yourself, you get to do what you want to do. (Well… Not really. But you do have some freedom as to what you outsource, etc.)

This job is different. It’s not just Internet marketing.

It’s working with other smart people and learning from them. It’s teaching. It’s working with processes. Most importantly, it’s helping others. That’s what makes me happy. It’s what I enjoy doing. I hope it’s what I’m good at.

To all the contacts and friends I’ve made while building up my business, Hippo Internet Marketing, please stay in touch. I’m obviously keeping my social profiles as is.

For those of you that have benefited from Hippo Internet Marketing training, mentoring, content, or otherwise, I’d love to hear your comments below or on this Facebook post. In fact, I’d really appreciate a positive comment (or even just a simple endorsement) on my LinkedIn Page here.

Thanks for your support all these years.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve parted ways with all my clients, talked to most of my students, and am currently in the process of editing the HIPPO websites.  Today is Jason Dockery’s last day working with me and I’ll be starting the next phase early next week.

The whole thing has happened very quickly.  (More about that later)

The parent incorporated name of HIPPO INC will continue, as my e-commerce business will now be run by my wife, Sandy (and Courtney).  But Hippo Internet Marketing is now gone, after ten years.  It’s an exciting, but somewhat difficult time for me, as it has been my baby.

As I look back, I wanted to share some insights about becoming an online marketer and owning your own business.

The History of Corey Creed

I grew up in Massachusetts, then spent ten years working for a large company in New York City.  After getting married, my wife and I spent less than a year back in Massachusetts (where it was way too cold for my poor wife originally from Daytona, FL.)

We then moved to North Carolina and formed two companies – Hippo Inc and Hippo Internet Marketing.  The decision to move to NC was a good one for us.  I had just started learning Internet marketing and wanted a fresh start.

INSIGHT:  Don’t be afraid.  We had nothing. I only knew a little.  I’ll never regret that move.

The History of HIPPO

Why Hippo?  Just before we moved to North Carolina, my wife and I were in the kitchen trying to determine what we would name the new business I wanted to start.  I did not want to have it associated with my name (such as Creed Enterprises) just in case I wanted to sell it someday.  Both my wife and I love animals, so I started naming them off.  She thought most of the names I came up with were dumb (Elephant Internet Marketing, Whale Internet Marketing, etc).  Looking back, those were dumb.  But somehow Hippo stuck.  We went with it.

The marketing side had the slogan:  “Hippo Internet Marketing – Look HUGE on the web”

INSIGHT:  Your brand is not your logo.  It’s not the name that makes the business.  It’s the business that builds the brand.  I’m proud of what Hippo has become.  I’m proud of the reputation it has.  (Even if it is kind of a silly name.)

How I started

I started taking clients for $200 per month.  I did AdWords mostly, which was brand new.  Over time, I learned SEO and other forms of online marketing.

Over the years, I started charging more.  I got rid of clients that were not a good fit and kept taking new ones.  The monthly fee became 10 to 20 times what I started with for most clients.

I often looked over my client list and found that my favorites were not the ones that paid the most.  My favorites were the ones that respected me and I respected them.  It’s all about the relationship.

INSIGHT:  If don’t have enough clients, charge less.  If you have enough, charge more.  Referrals bring the best clients.  Communicate well and get results and you’ll keep getting better and better clients.

How Hippo Grew:

For ten years, I have kept up with all forms of Internet marketing, read newsletters, read blogs, attended seminars, networked with other professionals, read books, and more.

I’ve learned exactly how to become a “smarter marketer”:

1. TIME MANAGEMENT
2. CONSTANTLY BE LEARNING
3. BUILD A GREAT NETWORK
4. ALWAYS BE TESTING

INSIGHT:  Learning is valuable.  But never underestimate the value of DOING and networking with others that DO!

What Hippo Became:

Over time, I realized that I enjoyed training and mentoring more than working for clients, in general.  That’s why I built HIPPO Internet Marketing Training.  I taught classes, built online content, and mentored students.  I also started working with Social Fresh.

All of this is work that I greatly enjoyed immensely and have had different levels of success.  But it’s probably been the time that I’ve learned the most as a true marketer in the full sense of the word.

INSIGHT:  Don’t get bored.  Pivot.

What’s next for Hippo?

Nothing.  It’s dead.  I’ve got a new opportunity that will take my energy full time.  I’m very excited about it and will explain more soon.

Perhaps someday if things change I would resurrect Hippo.  But my guess is that I would just start over.  Either way, I’m not thinking about that now.  I’m putting my full efforts into the next thing.

Let’s face it, Apple products are pretty nice. But their software has not been that great. For years now, iTunes has been clunky and weird. If you’re honest about it, you only like it because you are used to it.

Interestingly, this week’s TWiT podcast stated that Google has been great at Internet services, but not so great at design of physical products. Yet, Apple builds great products, but is not so good at software and Internet services.

What makes this interesting is that Google is getting better at products. The Nexus line of products are very nice. But Apple is not making much progress with software and services. Itunes version 11 is just another example of that.

Don’t get me wrong. The new iTunes is simpler and cleaner.

But the one thing that bothers me the most about iTunes is the lousy way they handle podcasts. Anyone that knows me well appreciates that I LOVE podcasts. I listen to them every day as I drive and exercise.

But no matter how hard the industry tries, they’ve never been able to get away from that term “podcast”. It makes them sound like they are connected with Apple iPods. And honestly, Apple has not done much to help the image and accessability of podcast shows. There are some really great ones out there and would be more, if they were just easier to find.

Once again, the method for working with, signing up for, and most importantly, FINDING podcasts is still clunky with the new iTunes. Just try finding all of the podcasts in the category of Internet Marketing or Social Media on iTunes and you’ll quickly see that it’s not easy.

AS an industry, online content creation needs to get away from the word podcast. Thankfully, we’re seeing more and more use the term Web TV, which is better. (Although that does not help the audio podcasts.)

But will Apple ever really make finding and listening to podcasts easy, friendly, and enjoyable? I doubt it. It’s frustrating.

For those of you that have attended my classes or attended my meetups, you know I’ve been a little “under the radar” lately. So here’s an update:

For the past two years, I’ve been working a lot with Social Fresh and for a few clients. I’ve also reopened the Hippo Internet Marketing classes on Search Engine Optimization, Google AdWords, Blogging, and other topics.

But last month I moved my office from Huntersville to Mooresville. It’s a closer location from home and a little cheaper. But more importantly, it’s setup to do video better.

So to test it out, I’m re-launching Hippo Academy. My Academy is an online portal for learning Internet marketing topics. But it also includes 4 hours of one-on-one consulting from me personally. We can talk about and work on whatever you like.

I have not opened the doors in over 16 months, so if this is something you think you’d find interesting, visit www.Hippo-Academy.com now, before I close it again.

Hope to hear from you soon.

“Can someone start a new blog today and have ??K subscribers in 6 months with a monetized system? IF yes, how would you teach others to do it, too?”

Here’s my answer…

Your questions below are not easy. But I definitely have some thoughts.

There’s no doubt that it’s POSSIBLE to start blogging and gain subscribers and monetize in 6 months. But a lot of factors come in to play, such as…

1. How much time can you devote to research, writing, and connecting?
2. How much money can you invest to attract targeted attention via advertising?
3. How good of a writer are you? How “likeable” are you to your target audience?
4. What partners do you know that already reach your target audience?
5. How much of an audience do you already have?
6. What is your topic? How “monetizable” is it?
7. How much expertise do you have in the topic?

NOTE: How much money and how many followers you get will depend on the answers to those questions, and perhaps a few others. (By the way, I put those in order of importance, in my opinion.)

How do you teach others to do it?
That’s easy. It’s a process.

1. Research, Write, Connect, Repeat
2. Create content that requires visitors to provide their email address.
3. Build partnerships with others that have your same target audience.
4. When appropriate, start monetizing (some ideas are listed below in order)
   • Google AdSense
   • Get your own Advertisers
   • Be an Affiliate
   • Sell your own stuff
   • Hourly Consulting
   • Monthly Clients
   • Do events
   • Mastermind Groups

Now, don’t confuse network with audience.  Your audience includes your followers, your subscribers, and your customers.  It is your sphere of influence.  Your goal is to grow that list.

Your network is different.  It’s those you learn with and learn from.  It is your list of peers that have similar goals to you.  Don’t try to endlessly grow this network.  A good network works best when you know each individual well.  This takes time and effort.

Keep your network small and cultivate those relationships.  Try to include individuals that have unique abilities and that you enjoy being around.  Learn from them.  But more importantly, show that what you are learning.

Here’s a short list of about a dozen of some of MY favorite people to network with on a regular basis.  Several of them are long-time friends.

(Perhaps seeing my list will give you some ideas of who you could network with.)

BILL CUTRER – Fairly new to online marketing, but quickly becoming an expert at social media monitoring, Google AdWords, and more

BRANDON UTTLEY – Talented PR guy turned social media. He’s started and owned a couple of successful agencies and done stuff on his own too.

CHRIS EASLER – Talented at knowing all things Google AdWords, including remarketing & display advertising! Strong background in e-commerce as well

DONNA MARIA COLES JOHNSON – She’s a former attorney who has built and operated a successful online community. She’s also a long-time podcaster.

FIONA DUDLEY – One of the first people I ever talked SEO with. She’s especially skilled at helping small businesses succeed online.

JASON KEATH – As founder and owner of Social Fresh, he’s staying on top of all things social media for business. It always amazes me how well connected he is, in particular.

JON BOLDEN – A fantastic young designer with an incredible ability to always “hit it out of the park” the first time he tries.

JON PAYNE – President of an amazing SEO agency that brings results for their clients. Jon knows SEO at a level most wish they could.

MARK TRAPHAGAN – He’s spending lots of time connecting and succeeding on Google Plus, especially with an eye toward SEO and gaining author credibility on blogs.

NATE KENNEDY – You may not know him. But he’s extremely successful (and helpful) with information marketing and online advertising.

NATHAN RICHIE – The best voice in town. He not only knows the television and radio industry, he owns a podcast and is an active social media professional.

NIKKI STEPHENS – Successful e-commerce business owner with a thirst for learning all things SEO, specifically to improve the bottom line.

PS:  If you’re not sure of how to build a good network or need a network, stay tuned.  I’ve got the perfect solution for you when we re-open Hippo Academy.  (Join our newsletter to stay updated.)

Here they are (in alphabetical order)…

American Advertising Federation Charlotte – @AAFCharlotte
https://www.aafcharlotte.com

American Institute of Graphic Arts Charlotte Chapter – @AIGACharlotte
http://www.aigacharlotte.org

Business Marketing Association Carolinas – @BMACarolinas
http://bmacarolinas.org

Charlotte American Marketing Association – @CharlotteAMA
http://www.charlotteama.com

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce – @CLTChamber
http://charlottechamber.com

Charlotte Direct Marketing Association – No Twitter ?!?
https://www.charlottedma.com 

Charlotte Regional Technology Executives Council – @CLTTechExecs
http://techexeccouncil.org

International Association of Business Communicators – @IABCCharlotte
http://www.ciabc.com

Public Relations Society of America Charlotte – @PRSACharlotte
http://www.prsacharlotte.org

Search Engine Marketing Association of Charlotte – @SEMCLT
http://www.meetup.com/The-Official-Charlotte-SEO-Search-Engine-Marketing-Meetup/
http://www.semclt.com

Social Media Charlotte – @SMCLT
http://www.socialmediacharlotte.com

Society for Marketing Professional Services SMPS – @SMPSclt
http://smpscharlotte.org

What’s missing?  Let me know in the comments below.  I’ll try to revise it occasionally.

I just finished reading a nice blog post on “How to Get More Instagram Followers“.  It details 7 practical steps for how to ethically get more followers.  Interestingly, when you start looking around online, you’ll find websites that you can buy Instagram followers on.  (Seems like a less ethical method to me.)

But why?  What’s the big deal with more followers on Instagram?

To be honest, I’m not a big Instagram user.  One reason is because I’m a happy Android phone user and have been for a while.  So we were sort of left out until Instagram only recently became available on Android phones.  The other reason is that I just haven’t bothered.  I like using and learning all forms of social media, but mostly to understand how to use it  best for marketing.

That being said, if you are trying to promote your business or brand via Instagram, the more followers the better.  As the article mentioned above noted, some brands such as Ben and Jerry’s are doing a great job of gaining attention and brand exposure via Instagram.

Then again, with so many options for marketing online, Instagram probably should not be your primary method for marketing.  It’s a side thought for most businesses at best.  But for those that are trying to build brand awareness, and recapture awareness, go for it.  For the rest of you, there’s probably other things that would bring better results than spending much of your time on Instagram (or Pinterest, etc).

As I tell all my students and colleagues…

Don’t ask: “Should I do this?”
Ask:  ”Should I do this first?”

Check it out.  What surprises you on this list?

Personally, I find it hard to believe Target and Starbucks are so low on the list.  I assume that is because they are not talked about as much online as the tech businesses toward the top of the list.