In Iowa we lag behind the national trends which means that we’ve probably not seen the worst of what’s coming.  But the message here is that businesses who spend smart marketing dollars today will reap massive benefits when things do turn around and growth starts again.  Spend smart.  Use the technology tools available to your business to reach out and engage your markets (and find some you never considered).  If you need help…pay for it.

Additional related reading you might enjoy

• createWOWmedia Podcast with Adam Steen of 25 Connections
• New Media Marketing – It’s Still Rock n Roll To Me
• Immigrant Entrepreneur Summit Drake University
• What I learned most from 6 Sigma Training and Social Media Immersion
• It’s been a pretty amazing week around the create WOW media studio at Impromptu Studio

This is great recognition for Andy Brudtkuhl and I as we just reached our 30th episode on the show and we’re only picking up steam.  The podcast as a vehicle to share knowledge, build value, develop a reputation, demonstrate skills, etc…is unparalleled.

We have great time doing the show too and putting what we preach into practice.  We’re living what we provide our clients and that authenticity is driving business growth.  Thanks Andy and SMB Trends, and to our amazing audience that keeps us inspired to share knowledge in our special way.

Additional related reading you might enjoy

• Live Managing the Edge from Omaha, NE, 05/08/09
• New Internet Business Podcast Launching Soon
• Doug Mitchell on Social Media Marketing – Entrefest 2009
• Doug Mitchell @ Entrefest – Search Engine Optimization
• Managing the Edge Internet Business Podcast

Like many of us, I live in an always on, hyper-connected, socially engaging, linking, tweeting, statusing, emailing, automating, filtering, searching, blogging, podcasting, video’ing world that accelerates geometrically each few months.  In this world it’s hard to remember that most businesses are still NOT doing much of the above as part of an overall web strategy.

If I meet with 100 businesses over the next week, I’ll find that 50 are “experimenting” with some of the above and perhaps 1 or 2 are strategically using over 50% of the tools to become “a socially findable and recommendable” business.  The balance are still stuck with their old brochure site that hasn’t been updated in 3 years because “The girl who built my site for free to start her design career went to work somewhere and we don’t even have the passwords to change things if we wanted to.” (I’ve spoken to 2 businesses doing a combined $45 million in the last 2 weeks in this exact scenario)

It’s ironic that if asked, every one of the businesses in my survey would say the first place they…and their target customers look for information on people, products, places, and services is the web or more specifically, “They Google It”.  Yet…when asked if Internet Marketing as a real part of their marketing strategy…vs. simply playing with the tools in an ad hoc manner…nearly all say no.

In most cases, companies are merely bolting on more features to a broken platform…like putting a fresh coat of paint on a rotting structure.  There may be some benefit…but ultimately the structure is shaky.  This is why social media as a stand alone practice is not the recipe I’d like to see being cooked in most business kitchens.

Can a company see great result with the bolt on approach. Yes.  But most will not reach anywhere near their ultimate potential without an integrated web strategy for their companies.  I’ve seen the examples like you have of the pizza place or the retail store seeing more traffic by advertising/sharing/connecting on Twitter.  Some businesses are more suited to this strategy agreed.

I believe however that the term and practice of “Interactive” or “Social” Marketing is far more relevant and representative of reality.  So for me…”Social Media” as a term and practice sleeps with the fishes.  To get transformative results, it’s best to take a holistic approach that encompasses the client’s:

1. Website platform
2. Business methodologies
3. Definition of Conversion (call,click,buy,submit information)
4. User interface
5. Email marketing
6. Local search
7. Local business listing
8. Social findability and organic placement
9. Online brand (employees and company)
10. Target markets
11. Metrics for success
12. Commitment level from the top down
13. Desired keywords and long tail hyper targeted keyword opportunities
14. Ability of the company to execute on a strategy period…from a human resource standpoint (the NUMBER ONE reason we see failure in the online world is the skewed perception that these tools can just be added to Jimmie in marketing’s role “because after all he’s young and gets this stuff.”) Who’s responsibility is this and what are the metrics of success?

As with other tools (like blogging a few years back) Social Media converts and luminaries get sweaty and preach Gospel on the street corner and proclaim the arrival of the savior (aka Twitter)…but as a disciplined professional you know that without a comprehensive Interactive Marketing strategy behind your efforts that social media is….well….social.  It is possible and desirable to state loudly and proudly that you’d like social tools to become transactional and that’s where most companies and consultants don’t execute.

Additional related reading you might enjoy

• Social networking is a piece…not the pie
• NFL Feels Effects of Players Building Their Own Brands with Twitter
• Doing less with more in 2009
• To All SMB’s: Ready to Explode Your Business With Multimedia Marketing?
• Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit Case Study

The exuberance and passion that I heard in the walls was amazing.  I didn’t get to hear ANY of the sessions this year because we were just too busy in our multimedia streaming suite.  Next year I hope to change that.  Stay tuned for video and more clips coming from our 2 days of participation.

Take a look at the twitter stream from Entrefest and see the great commentary coming directly from the show.

Additional related reading you might enjoy

• Promo Video for Entrefest
• Entrefest wrap up
• Doug Mitchell @ Entrefest – Search Engine Optimization
• Rhonda Abrams Keynote Opening Address at Entrefest Coralville
• Live Blogging from Entrefest in Coralville

So many companies are behind on their marketing period.  They’re still spending money on banner ads and magazine ads in the name of “branding”.  We work with a company that has found an entirely “new” budget for marketing after some simple analytics performed on their current web marketing presence.  How many people are actually converting? Bupkis. OK let’s stop doing that.  Done.  New budget.

So what’s needed out there is a complete marketing plan look.  Define what tools might supercharge and accelerate marketing efforts.  Then deploy the tools and the revised plan.  If the comprehensive approach isn’t taken, a company may still see great results. But too often we see the “bolt on of social media” approach that brings lots of new eyeballs and “relationships”…without ever closing the deal.

So there is no “social media” or “new media” to me anymore…there’s simply marketing and whether you’re being effective…or not.  New Media Marketing is still rock and roll to me.

Additional related reading you might enjoy

• Immigrant Entrepreneur Summit Drake University
• Is the Economy Turning Around?
• What I learned most from 6 Sigma Training and Social Media Immersion
• It’s been a pretty amazing week around the create WOW media studio at Impromptu Studio
• 2009 is off and running