Mike Connell

C is for Cookie!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:14:00 +0000

NOTE: this post originally appeared on the scratch blog on March 26, 2013

Previously, on the scratch blog:

Elan yammered on about how he thinks he is fat, and how it bothers him that his spammy online activities result in ad-upon-ad from companies trying to sell him weight loss solutions.

And now…

Elan Packer: Things you should know when you travel the Interweb

People on the Internet track things. They cookie (no, Elan, not THAT kind of cookie), tag and retarget. They hitch on to your online travels and try to deliver relevant—or in many cases seemingly NOT relevant (but based on your activity to date all the same)—messaging in the form of ads. Or they’re just trying to get as many impressions as possible. The strategies and tactics vary, but ultimately the facts remain:

Where you go/where you have been is trackable.
Your search habits are predictable/targetable.
- That said, just because you’ve entered a search term relevant to someone’s business, doesn’t mean you’re ready to be bombarded with their sales pitch, but this, clearly, happens.
SEM and SEO retargeting.
- What route (paid/organic) did they take to get to your site, and what did they do once they got there?
- Combine those two factors and you have a “better” sense of that consumer’s behaviour.
You can be targeted based on your email activity.
- Did you unsubscribe? Did you click on the link? Did you wait a week before you clicked on the link? Did you forward the email? Was there retargeting in the body of the email body, which doesn’t require you to do anything but open the email.
You can retarget contextually.
- Inferences are made based on your online actions. If you are looking into airfare options to Florida, it’s possible that the airline in question, and local hotel are going to mutually benefit by targeting their respective site traffic.

Here endeth the lesson.

Further… Elan, you’re not fat. You’re just big-boned. And that’s ok. We like you. We really, really like you. And, based on what we’ve just discussed… the Internet? It only knows what you tell it. Somehow, someway, you’ve either acted in such a way that the Internet can assume/infer fatness, or you’ve directly told it that you’re fat. Why would you do that? It’s just weird.

For some extra fun, just for Elan: A site for people addicted to Dr. Pepper.

I Love Landing Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:42:00 +0000

[NOTE: if you don't want to read my drivel, you can skip down to the part where I source some smart people talking about landing pages]

Think of the sections of a site as ingredients, and the variables (button color, etc.) as spices. Your landing page is a meal. If its ingredients suck… spices won’t help.

- Bryan Eisenberg paraphrased in this aimclear blog post.

Landing Pages. There seems to a bit of confusion surrounding their value and usage. Despite, or perhaps because of this confusion, there are also a significant number of people (at least in my world right now) who have a strong opinion about Landing Pages and the value they may or may not bring to the digital marketing table.

It's one thing to have an argument for or against landing pages, or whether the practice is useful/valuable for your brand and business. It's quite another to be in that conversation and not know what they are how they can or should be used.

That said, if you google "landing pages," the sheer number of results that come up speaking to "Landing Pages: Why you should care", "What are Landing Pages", "Why your Landing Page sucks" and "Top 10 ways to improve your Landing Page" tells me that a lot of people are looking for information on this subject, and clearly many of them aren't getting what they want (apparently many landing pages "suck"). Maybe I shouldn't be surprised there's a lot of confusion surrounding them. Maybe I should spend more time learning how to clearly define and deliver the value I believe in...

Working in the digital space, I've always made the assumption (wrongly, it seems) that the concept and usage of a landing page is quite clear: The client/brand/organization/person has something they want to promote or focus on. They need to direct users to a page that speaks to that, and that only, and that presents a clear call to action.

The problem: The website pushes bigger picture messaging and drills down to more specific calls-to-action as users navigate. It isn't/wasn't built to clearly/definitely push one goal or action, or at least not the goal or action this "campaign" is focusing on.

The solution: Create a page that does focus on the focus issue, and that pushes the singular goal or action.

That's the simple way of looking at it... with that focused, targeted page our advertising will be more effective (because a user won't be clicking through to a general brand page, they'll be clicking through to a page that reflects the ad or search result they click on and, ultimately, the intent behind the reason they were online in the first place), our search results will be better and our conversion opportunities will be higher because there won't be a hierarchy of clickthrough decisions to choose from. If the page is designed properly, the next step(s) should be very clear.

Add to that remarketing/retargeting strategies, different user/demographic behaviours for different products and calls-to-action... the concept of a landing page specific to a message, product, campaign, etc. makes a lot of sense, no?

Yes. That said, let's be honest: There are people who are WAY smarter than I am who spin a much better yarn on Landing Pages. Here's one of my favourites from +Marty Weintraub's aimclear (well, not Marty himself, rather from +Lauren Litwinka) ...

Masterful Landing Page Optimization: Do It For the Beagles #SESNY

The Landing Page. It’s one of the most important elements of your online marketing campaign. Why? Because it’s what a healthy bulk of your online marketing efforts – organic, paid, and social – point towards. So why are so many landing pages so ~~sucky~~ nope – sucky is the most accurate word to describe them.

_____________

More for your reading pleasure...

Best Landing Page Definitions:

According to...

Hubspot:

A landing page is a website page that allows you to capture a visitor's information through a lead form.

Kissmetrics: (less of a definition, and more of a "why")

A well-designed landing page can greatly increase conversions for your PPC or email marketing campaigns. Rather than directing visitors from those sources to your general website (where they may have a hard time finding what they’re looking for), you can direct them to a specially-designed landing page that steers them in exactly the direction you want them to take.

And on of my faves...

Adwords:

The webpage where customers end up after they click your ad.

Technorati token: DJ993Y76HXY8

Taking a break in the Dad Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Stopped by Gary Edgar's "The Dad Lounge" last week, settled in for a bit with a beer, talked technology... and kids. Next post will likely be on podcasts and how they still have a place in the digital space.

Take a listen here: Mike Connell joins the podcast to talk about technology, baby monitors and vampire killing marionettes. Don’t miss episode 2.

Social networks and kids

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:52:00 +0000

My son checking his tweets, likes, shares and stock prices

Working in the digital space provides a lot of insight into the goods and bads of social media, especially as it pertains to the family and our kids. Like any media, there are inherent dangers for the uninitiated, but even us "experts" find ourselves in trouble and unsure about how to act in certain situations. My kids are still too young to have online personas of their own, however I was recently part of a conversation where the mum was dead-set against her daughter (13) being on Facebook for at least another year, even though all of her other friends were already there and ultimately I had to disagree.

I did think "fair enough" out of the gate, but I quickly had to ask why. In all transparency the subsequent conversation occurred in my head. I didn't ask her why to her face. She was very... set on her tack (yes, please use sailing jargon whenever possible) and since I hadn't had a chance to make this kind of decision for my own family I was going to reserve judgement/public confrontation (for now).

But really: Why? At this stage, we (both my wife and I) lean towards education and awareness versus avoidance. By refusing to let your kids on Facebook at, say, 13, are you effectively stopping them? Or are they finding ways to get on there with their friends unbeknownst to you, armed with zero knowledge or sense of caution and care. All that said, I'm also not a fan of "but Zane and Barbara Sue's parents said it was ok" (names are altered to protect the innocent... from exposure on this blog, but also from those horrible handles), but where do we set the boundaries? Do we stay firm with "I said 14, and 14 it remains." What if your son or daughter are a mature 12 or 13 year old? What if they show aptitude and interest in things that can really only be found online? Stick to our guns, or bend, educate and monitor?

I don't have the answer, but if my kids are anything like me (and so far, maddeningly, they are), they'll find a way to go wherever and whenever I don't want them to. Just to spite me. So, for now, I'm all about showing them the way, exhibiting the dos and don'ts and making it easy to find out what to do next. They are only almost-four and almost-two, so this isn't something I have to address yet, but I also know that this will come up WAY before 13 or 14. Possibly in the next couple of months. Kidding. Kind of.

Make sense, or am I a bad parent?

NOTE: I don't really want an answer to the latter...

Another note: There's a great article on brighterlife.ca that goes a lot deeper into "How to keep your kids safe online". I'm a fan of their three Cs of cyberspace safety: content, conduct, contact. Good stuff.

Don't bet against the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:55:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the scratch blog on July 31, 2012.

Don’t let the words f*ck you up. It’s not social media you’re betting against, it’s the Internet… and if you’re betting against the Internet, I wish you the best of luck.

This, loosely paraphrased, was from Gary Vaynerchuk [vay-ner-chuk] (@garyvee), best-selling author and self-trained social media expert at last week’s inaugural Social Mix from @jugnoome (#SoMix2012 was amazing, by the way. I highly recommend it). Gary was the closing speaker for the day-long social media marketing event. His message wasn’t new: the Internet is big. But how he evangelized and contextualized the message was inspirational. Gary’s most recent book, The Thank You Economy, would have been called “Why radio is going to change the game” in the 1920s. In the ‘90s, it would’ve been called “Why Amazon is Going to Take Over the Retailing World”. Ultimately, though, it’s about something bigger than these tools… it transcends immediate application and speaks to something greater than a single revolutionary platform.

We rave about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media channels du jour because they work. Remember when you first started email campaigning vs. what, faxes?? You’re going to where the customers are, faster. That’s what social media is. Community building, networking, sharing and, ultimately, it’s a route-to-market.

It amazes me to be part of so-called integrated strategies that include traditional media buys. Clients will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV, radio and print. They’ll nod, understanding how expensive it can be, and get excited at the prospect of that massive TV audience for their 30-second ad. Of course they’re not thinking about the throngs of people who got up to take a piss during their spot, or those that PVR (yes, using PVR as a verb. All the cool kids are doing it). They’re not asking for better metrics. They don’t seem to care that they don’t, really, know who is seeing their ads.

Enter the digital media buy. “Why would we do Facebook? What kind or ROI are we talking about? How do we know people are clicking on our ads? Can we target women?” Where did this imbalance come from? What’s the ROI? In Gary Vee’s words: “What’s the ROI of your mother??” What’s the ROI of your print ad that has a CPM based on the fact that "John" may leave the magazine in the cr*pper and two other people will read it (and maybe turn to page 57 where your ad lives)?

It’s scary how effective social media can be. The targeting opportunities in Facebook are insane: 25- to 54-year-old women who live in Toronto, who are married, who have a birthday in the next week, who like basket-weaving and have friends named “Sue” (maybe not that last one, but you know what I mean). We can advertise to that group with multiple messages, point them to wherever we want them to go and, incredibly, we can also insert pieces of code at the landing point to measure their activities and, ultimately, capture the data to remarket to them days, weeks or months later to maintain the touch point with the brand. Show me how a print ad can do that.

Anyway, even after all that we still have clients who claim social isn’t for them. They don’t “believe in it.” Really? You don’t believe the stats that one in four people who see something on Pinterest make a purchase? You don’t think it’s important that Pinterest receives almost 1.5 million visitors each day and provides more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined? It’s not social you’re betting against. That’s just a word. It’s the Internet you’re claiming doesn’t work. Let’s ask Blockbuster what they think about that.

When it comes to networking, just do it.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:55:00 +0000

This is a reposting of my Guest Column for The Toronto Business Times from May 2, 2012.

"If you believe business is built on relationships, make building them your business," says Scott Stratten, president of Un-Marketing (with more than 120,000 followers on Twitter and 7,000 on Facebook) in his book called, yes, UnMarketing. Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.

I'm not ashamed to say a book that turns the concept of marketing on its head has changed the way I run my business.

Getting audiences to engage with brands and convert on specific objectives is my reason for being in the nine-to-whatever (or unreasonable facsimile of what passes for a workday these days) world.

Ultimately that means I build relationships. In fact, I'm often so busy building relationships for my clients that I find little time left to build and maintain any of my own.

So, how do small business owners and consultants maintain a healthy relationship with their network? Sometimes, in practice, we don't, it's true, but in theory...

1. Keep social networking profiles current

People are connecting with us all the time, and we don't even know it. It's important to ensure we're communicating the right information.

The main players in social networking for business are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and there's no quick fix or easy way to update all three at the same time. I have weekly, monthly and quarterly reminders in my calendar to ensure that everything I would ever want somebody to know is readily available on my social networks. It's possible I might miss a weekly update, but monthly and quarterly reminders make sure the gaps don't get too big.

2. Don't be shy

Connect, like and follow. This is how it works, right? Someone "likes" or "follows" us, generally we like or follow them back. Not always, and often depending on who they are, but generally we'll reciprocate the action.

You need to set aside 30 minutes every week (at a minimum, and for each social network) to proactively identify people to connect with, like or follow.

3. Practice Inbox Zero

The biggest time suck in my life is email. Managing subscriptions, notifications, personal and, of course, work correspondence can be overwhelming. The problem? An out-of-hand inbox hides a lot of networking opportunities. When I learned about Merlin Mann's Inbox Zero, email overload didn't go away, but implementing the process (Delete, Delegate, Respond, Defer, Do) ensures that we slowly but surely address all communication points and clean house at the same time.

A clean inbox makes each touch point that much easier to address and (eventually) frees up more time to focus on those other networking opportunities.

Ultimately, what's the single most important thing to remember when it comes to networking? Do it. Even if you feel you don't have the time.

"You need to return this book if you say, 'I don't have time to build relationships online!' and yet will drive 45 minutes to a networking event, stay three hours, and drive 45 minutes back home," Stratten says in UnMarketing.

What's important to you and how are you going to grow your business? What's the ROI on your networking activities? Figure it out.

How to avoid social spam [infographic]

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Social spam and how to avoid it....

Courtesy of Constant Contact Blogs.

Like this infographic? Get more social media marketing tips from Constant Contact.

What does Search mean to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Courtesy of Search Engine Land

Startup/Tech Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:46:00 +0000

So, it's been WAY too long since my last post so let me first apologize to all my readers (yes, I pluralize to make myself feel better... not really working). Second: The reason. I've been busy, like most people, but more specifically I was getting some writing up on another channel. In an effort to repurpose and unabashedly toot my horn (toot. toot.) I've posted my new tech/startup submission to The Toronto Standard:

"A daily digital briefing on the life of the city, covering urban affairs, business, technology, culture and design — and all the sparks that happen in between." - The Toronto Standard

Shopcastr: Discover What Your City Has In Store
Toronto's startup community gets it right once again
(and... pushing you to torontostandard.com for the rest of the story)

Top 30 Things to Stop Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Because the holidays can be so nutty—and even nuttier with two kids under three—I am totally stealing somebody else's post for this month's submission... well, "stealing" is so harsh. I'm repurposing because the message is a great one, regardless of your job, industry, relationship and family status.

This comes from Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living (posted on December 11, 2011).

"When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you."

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started: (editor's note: I took this straight from Marc and Angel's site, so the order/ranking does not represent how I would rank or relate to these ideas)

Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled.
Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness.
Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.
Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done.
Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.
Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Any... thing you want to stop, or start doing in the new year? Let me know!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

mike

meshmarketing 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:36:00 +0000

What's the ROI on a conference? It was one of the most compelling statements (with regard to measuring and establishing ROI) that came out of Scott Stratten's unbook: UnMarketing... for me, anyway (see the excerpt at the end of this post for more details). Some companies will expect/project a conference to generate X number of leads, and for conferences that can run anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars to attend (much less exhibit at), those leads better be qualified, right? Or not... just "being there" is often part of the ROI or, as @unmarketing puts it, integral to the ROR (return on relationships). Early on as an independent consultant I found it difficult to justify the expense of events/conferences. Do you have to travel to get there? How expensive? Who's attending? I still have to pick and choose which ones I attend (and I'm not exhibiting or speaking at any... yet), but ultimately there are increasingly those events that I can't afford not to go to. meshmarketing is one (this year, at least).

Different than mesh, meshmarketing (@meshmarketing) is all about providing "insight, perspective and information to more effectively embrace and capitalize on the fast-growing digital market." mesh is more about all things web broken into four categories: media, society, business and marketing. Both are valuable, but this year I had to pick one... meshmarketing it is! My first mesh event.

Why now? Timing was a big part of it (mesh's May schedule would have been tough for a number of reasons, but you don't care about that), but really it's the feedback I received from other attendees who spoke to the value and relevancy of the sessions, and the quality of attendees that made the decision easy (plus I remembered to book in time for the early-bird rate).

What's my expected ROI from meshmarketing? To get validation that content strategy/marketing is increasingly being considered a pillar of digital strategy and to continue debunking the myth that "social" media is the answer to all of your problems. Like anything else (marketing conferences included), media channels are tools. Social media is another cog in the wheel, but it's the wheel that gets you from A to B.

How many other analogies can be made here to beat a dead horse? OK, now how many?

Scott Stratten's unbook excerpt:

Return on investment (ROI) is one of the lamest excuses that I hear all the time. Most old-school salespeople could never calculate their efforts in ROI in the first place. I ask them what their ROI is on the networking event that they drove to last week or the conference that just attended to see their current customers. It is more ROR (return on relationships) and, truthfully, that is really hard to calculate.

Reporting vs. Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:56:00 +0000

(Working title: "What does all this data mean and what do we do with it?")

It's very easy to succumb to all of the data opportunities the digital space presents, but it's not always easy to digest and package everything in a useful format. "So much data, so few insights," Avinash Kaushik (@avinash) says in his book Web Analytics 2.0. He goes on to acknowledge that too many organizations think of analytics as "the art of collecting and analyzing clickstream data," and they forget about the context behind those numbers. If you're just wading into the world of web analytics it's important to know what the numbers mean, even at the simplest level. Even the simplest of data, like traffic trending higher or lower, means very little unless you have some context and are able to analyze what the numbers represent. We're not even talking about the "why" behind some of these numbers at the earliest stages, we just need to reference them in context.

In terms of basic traffic reports, a number that is trending down (since when? Last week? Last month? The beginning of the year? The beginning of the internet?) needs to be broken out. What kind of traffic? Direct? Organic? Referral? While the overall number is lower, is there more organic, but less direct? An increase in referral traffic, but fewer organic and direct visits? Looking at different windows of time helps to contextualize this. The same period (month?) from last year? The prior month(s)? Whatever window you choose, take a look at how the various traffic types compare. Pay particular attention to things like referral traffic. If your overall traffic figures are down, and you note, specifically, that you have 5,000 less visits from a workopolis referral site you may want to remind yourself that you were going through hiring/HR exercises during the previous period and the traffic numbers reflect that activity.

That said, we're still not left with any actionable insights... or are we? Knowing that direct traffic is declining but organic and referral traffic is on the rise allows us to identify where we can make improvements at a very superficial level.

As a rule, however, clickstream data is great at the what, but not the why, generally leaving us with little actionable insight according to Kaushik, leading him to redefine web analytics.

Web Analytics 2.0 is:

the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from your website and the competition,
to drive a continual improvement of the online experience of your customers and prospects,
which translates into your desired outcomes (online and offline).

Once you have contextualized this "foundation data" (Kaushik), you need to go back and refer to what outcomes your website was designed to deliver.

For some more interesting reading on reporting vs. analytics, check out:

Reporting vs. Analysis: What’s the Difference?
Tuesday, 19 October 2010 @ 15:34, by Brent Dykes

Industry Insights: The Adobe Blog for Omniture Technology

Seven Steps to Creating a Data Driven Decision Making Culture
October 23, 2006
Occam's Razor, by Avinash Kaushik

(Digital) Editorial Calendars - Not just for magazines anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:14:00 +0000

"We should be blogging," said a peer of mine some time ago. "We should also be on Twitter, don't you think?" Sure, I said. Yours may not be a brand that is widely discussed online, however your industry and customer service (or lack thereof in this case) are issues that you should at least be paying attention to and, ideally, in a position to respond to. "Great," he concluded. "I'll let my guys know and we'll get on that."

Fast-forward a week later.

"Hey... do you remember when we talked about that whole blogging idea? How do you do that exactly? What should we talk about? How often?" These are seemingly simple questions without simple answers.

In an older post unfortunately titled "Get involved in the conversation" (something I often criticize brands and organizations for saying... it's way over-used and likely was when I used it as well) I talk about how important it is to MAKE the time to blog/communicate online, as well as listen to what's being said about your brand as a means of informing what it is you should be saying yourself. The proliferation of all kinds of digital communication in the past year alone changes how we play the game.

Goals: Why are you blogging? To garner more brand awareness? More traffic to a particular service you provide? Value add? Thought leadership? Whatever the goal(s), make sure that you keep key objectives top-of-mind when you develop your calendar. Just like any magazine, you have to ensure you're addressing the needs and interests of your audience so even if your goals are self-serving (traffic, promotion, etc.) make sure that you are not only transparent in that effort, but that you aren't just pumping out sales pitches. Advertorials don't work in the blogosphere IMO.

Once you've established your goals and objectives, the key is organization and consistency. Easily said, but not easily done, even (perhaps especially?) by those of us who preach planning your communications. That said, in an age where anyone can be/is a publisher, you have to develop an editorial strategy and calendar to ensure you are consistent in how you address your audience and how you represent your brand. Does this "story" reflect our views/values/mission statement, etc? Is it timely? Does our audience care? Why should they care? What kind of sources are we going to use? What is the goal of the piece? Are we pointing our audience back to a particular section of our website, a landing page, or another valued source of information? Who is going to write it?

Transparency and clarity are also important. Make sure your audience knows what they're going to get when they arrive at your site. Is this a marketing site? Are you trying to sell me something? Perhaps you can be even more granular: On Mondays readers will find my favourite places to get coffee, Tuesdays are for writing tips, Wednesdays are for sharing other interesting resources, and so on...

Frequency is difficult, but only if you over think it! Keep it simple. Start out by answering this question: Do we have something to say? If so, how often do we think our views on [insert category here] can be kept fresh and relevant? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? Do we have the resources to keep up with those expectations?

Once those issues have been addressed, create an actual calendar. Even if you're only going to be publishing something quarterly, it's important to develop a calendar that outlines:

Target publication date
Author
Theme (quarterly, monthly, weekly, etc.)
Title/topic
Channel (via your blog alone, or will you push/contextualize the content via other tools like Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc.)
Status (In production, pending review, being edited, published, on hold, etc.)
Assets required (Are you pointing to a particular landing page? Section of your site? Is there anything to download? Images? Source materials?)
Call to action (What are you asking readers to do once they've read your editorial? There doesn't ALWAYS have to be a CTA, but in order to foster dialogue and meet your objectives it makes sense to try and engage the reader in some way, even if it's just to say "what are your thoughts on this article? Please comment below!")
Actual publication date (As we all know, "target" versus "actual" are very different. Don't beat yourself up for missing a deadline, but try to be as consistent as possible)

Once you've put all this material together, make sure you also include a dissemination strategy. Just like a press release, you need to let your audience/readers/customers/whomever know that you've said something new. They (likely) don't come back to your site every day to make sure you have or haven't come up with new words of wisdom, so you market the material. Decide which tools you want to use to promote and, in many cases, contextualize your editorial. Email campaigns and Twitter are great for pushing out your message, but ensure you're letting people know why they should be interested. "(Digital) Editorial Calendars" may not be the hook many of my readers are going to be drawn in by, so using a well-worded tweet to contextualize and perhaps highlight the content can be very helpful in garnering more eyeballs.

If you get into the habit of thinking about your blog(s) in this manner, it will become much easier to not only develop content/ideas, but also determine when would be the best time(s) to publish. Finally, try to pay attention to what other people are talking about. "Monitoring" or listening is an entirely different post, however once you start pushing your words into the digital space it is important to track the conversations themselves (perhaps they'll travel to other blogs or channels like LinkedIn and Twitter?), as well as like-minded subject matter to make sure you're staying current and addressing what it is your readers and potential audience members are interested in.

We can do better...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:15:00 +0000

I just finished reading Amber Naslund's (@ambercadabra) An Open Letter to the Social Business Industry, and couldn't help thinking that despite its meteoric rise, social media (and its strategic uses in building brands and informing all marketing and communication activities) is either seen as a disparate camp among the communication and marketing activities, or lauded as the ONE solution to your branding problems. It's neither IMO, but we'll get to that.

Amber Naslund speaks of two camps...

One:

Those whose mission statements are rooted in “passion”, in “people”, in “conversations” and the intrinsic value of open communication and connection. They eschew the notion that we should attach numbers, dollars, or hard measurement to things that cannot and should not be quantified, like the value of a human relationship. And they are quick to label those that ask for justification as rigid, out of touch, or those that simply “don’t get it.

And two:

Those whose battle cry is for “accountability”, for “metrics”, for the elusive “Return on Investment” of social media. For them, there *is* no value in anything that cannot be captured, quantified, or reported upon.

I like how she's done this, but I would add/echo my earlier comments and note that however you figure out if you're winning, there are a number of tools and tactics working towards that end. Social Media isn't THE solution, but increasingly it's becoming a pivotal cog in your larger communication and branding activities. Part of the whole, not an isolated activity working in obscurity and shadows with regard to ROI and measurability.

Ultimately, it's not helpful, productive or growth-oriented to set benchmarks for various elements of your communication/marketing campaign, and then just throw social into the mix. All elements of your campaign(s) need to inform each other on a practical level... the emotional (also necessary to make social "come alive" and take your brand/communications strategy to new levels) comes in when the stakeholders can see how social lends itself to all of your other activities and facilitates activity, interest and genuine enthusiasm in your brand -- not only internally, but amidst your audience as well.

Metrics and accountability are typically going to be the "true" measure of how well any part of your campaign is doing, but how amazing is it when a social exercise informs/improves a traditional marketing activity, or improves your paid search campaign? Hard to calculate the ROI on that, but overall the benchmark becomes a number of tools and tactics working seamlessly together to achieve the big picture goals and objectives.

This is why I tend to preach marrying digital with traditional tools and tactics. A social media voice jockeying for attention like Welcome Back Kotter's Arnold Horshak (did I just date myself, or become even cooler in the eyes of my tiny audience?), may get heard, but won't always get the serious consideration it's due. Social strategy is essential in any marketing and communication campaign as part of the mix. Just like dissemination and media relations strategies are necessary in crafting a campaign around a single press release, social plays its part in informing your campaign on what your audience is looking for, what conversations they're already having about your brand and activities and where they actually are... make sense?

Players in the social strategy space get this for the most part, and others are starting to recognize how digital strategy is changing how we craft and execute marketing/communication campaigns, but as Naslund says, we can definitely do better in terms of our ability to find and value the "middle ground" -- a happy place where "We can feel good about doing something and prove that it has concrete worth."

Political Vetting vs. Privacy?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:11:00 +0000

I was listening to CBC's The Current yesterday. Part Two discussed Political Vetting, leading with this: "The B.C. provincial NDP has a new 17-page disclosure form for wannabe leadership candidates, asking them for everything about their online presence, including their social networking usernames and passwords because the party wants to avoid Internet-related embarrassments mid-campaign."

The question: Are they going too far?
My question: Does anyone in politics actually understand the social media space?

Guests included Brad Levigne, the NDP's national campaign director, Yaroslav Baran, the communications director in the Conservative Party war room for the last three federal elections (now a communications consultant), and Jack Siegel, who has been involved in the vetting process as legal counsel to the Federal and Ontario Liberal Parties in the last several elections (a request for a current Conservative rep was declined).

Siegel seemed to sympathize for the "going too far" camp, noting that a certain amount of transparency/disclosure is expected, but ultimately acknowledging that vetting shouldn't have to go so far as digging into the protected areas of a potential candidate's social media activity. Levigne was, perhaps obviously, very much in favour of a strict, rigorous vetting process in order to avoid "surprises," such as the Dana Larsen incident, where the candidate's old broadcasts on Pot TV forced him to step down. Baran felt for both sides, but in my opinion leaned closer to Levigne, having been on the front lines of communication and crisis management and knowing how difficult it can be to have information surprisingly surface in the middle of a campaign.

I completely understand that a party endorsement (provincial or national) is a serious thing for all players involved, and that a certain amount of vetting (traditional background check, digital snapshot, candidate disclosure) is required, however more disturbing was discussion and reference to the social space itself. Baran (@YaroslavB) referred to social networking and micro-blogging tool, Twitter, as (paraphrase) stream-of-consciousness... a channel where people say whatever, whenever they want. Therein lies the problem.

It's a communication and networking tool, used to listen, talk and engage. Sure, during its early days (and still to a degree now), Twitter's uses and guidelines/standards of use weren't as clear as they are currently, but the same could/should be said about any communication channel. Email is still abused (spam, chain letters, inappropriate conversations via work accounts, etc.), as are the telephone (telemarketing) and snail mail (junk mail).

Social media tools and channels make it easier to listen to what people are saying. I've always believed that you shouldn't say or do anything via any media that you wouldn't want your mother, your wife or your boss to see. Use them for your vetting process. They are very effective research tools. But locking down an account or insisting on being able to access someone's data with their username and password comes across as censorship and a breach of privacy. Are you going to tap their phone? Get access to their personal email accounts? Bank accounts? Yes, they ask about your finances, but would they go so far as to monitor your banking activity? Understand the medium you're trying to monitor before you lock it down. I think we'll increasingly find more and more people unwilling to stand up and commit themselves to a political cause/party if they're not afforded some measure of trust.

Similarly, businesses that lock down the use of these social media channels are often under fire for their inflexibility and lack of vision and as a result it is likely that employees are going to stop working for companies that adopt those policies. If you set up guidelines and inform and inspire your team, time wasting becomes less of an issue. Join them in their SM endeavours. Consequently you'll be notified if your employee checks in to Casino Rama while they're supposed to be off sick.

My point? Yes, I know... it's long in coming. My point is that we should be spending more time teaching, learning and understanding the tools we use to communicate everyday. The more we understand them, the less we'll be surprised (or we'll be able to find the surprises more easily?), and we'll be more capable in dealing with those surprises. Not everyone will or should embrace them without caution, and I don't disagree that a healthy dose of skepticism and apprehension can provide accountability and aid in establishing guidelines in how people use any form of media, but don't assume the worst and don't conclude that having access precludes abuse.

Siegel acknowledged that the vetting process is a difficult one, and noted that, even discounting the social media issue, many potential candidates have refused to undergo the complete/official procedure due to its invasiveness. Seventeen pages does seem a little heavy (I wonder if there's on online process?), but these endorsements are a serious thing, so I get it. But maybe do your own legwork. Do some homework. Use the tools you're condemning to find out what potential candidates are saying online, and what millions of people (geographically and keyword filtered) are saying about them (while you're at it, use social media to assess what issues should be addressed based on real conversations rather than party policy alone). Accessing their social media profiles can't completely prevent them from "embarrassing" you/the party/themselves if they're inclined/capable of doing so.

On that note, I think I've taken this conversation far enough. There goes my political career.

22 Ways Nonprofits Can Use QR Codes for Fundraising and Awareness Campaigns

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:16:00 +0000

I've been doing some research on how nonprofits can more effectively use digital and social media strategy to help promote and achieve their objectives. I came across this site and article and thought I'd share it. A great resource and read.

From Nonprofit Tech 2.0: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits

JANUARY 24, 2011
by nonprofitorgs

If you haven’t noticed QR Codes yet, after you read this post and browse the QR Codes on Flickr you’re going to start to seeing them everywhere. In magazines, on flyers, tabletops, and conference materials. So, what are they?

QR Codes are two-dimensional bar code images that when scanned by a camera on a smartphone open a link to a website, send a SMS, or dial a phone number. You can easily create QR Codes for free at sites like qrcode.kaywa.com and qrstuff.com. To scan a QR Code, smartphone owners download a QR Code Reader [browse your App Store/Gallery for a "qr code reader"] and then take a picture of the QR Code. The person scanning is then sent either to a mobile Web browser to view the link inside the QR Code, sent a text message, or prompted to dial a phone number. QR Codes are ideal for location-based communications and fundraising campaigns. Try it! Scan the QR Code featured in this blog post to see how it works.

Interestingly enough QR Codes are turning out to be a tool that finally helps nonprofits understand why they need mobile websites (for multiple reasons). Think about it. Linking to a desktop site in a QR Code that is meant to be read on smartphone is not practical. It’s very difficult to read a 12″ wide website on a 2.5″ wide screen. To best utilize QR Codes you will need to link to Web pages designed for mobile browsing, especially “Donate Now” and “Text-to-Give Now” pages and petition pages optimized for mobile use. It’s also smart to link to your social networking communities, but to the mobile versions i.e., m.facebook.com/nonprofitorgs, m.twitter.com/nonprofitorgs, m.youtube.com/nonprofitorgs, m.flickr.com/photos/nonprofitorgs, etc.

There are infinite possibilities of what your nonprofit can link to in QR Codes – just make sure the pages can easily be read on mobile devices. My guess is that over the next year we’re going to see a rise in nonprofit services tailored to create mobile-friendly Web page and QR Codes. That said, QR Codes that prompt scanners to call phone numbers could be put to very interesting use at political events protests ushering in a new wave of QR Code activism.

The early adopters in the nonprofit sector are a creative bunch. With a mobile website (create one for only $8 a month) and a QR Code generator and reader, there are thousands of possible QR Code campaigns. To help jumpstart your creativity, here are 22 ideas to ponder:

1. In fundraising appeals.
2. In print newsletters.
3. At fundraising events – galas, marathons, etc.
4. On flyers and community billboards.
5. At protests.
6. At conferences.
7. At check-out lines.
8. On tabletops in restaurants.
9. In playbills.
10. In museum tour materials.
11. As scavenger hunts.
12. In city tours.
13. At concerts and sporting events.
14. For art walks.
15. At zoos, aquariums, and animal shelters.
16. In libraries.
17. At parks and outdoor recreation venues.
18. At church.
19. On college and university campuses.
20. At airports.
21. In window displays.
22. On t-shirts, mugs, pins, and business cards.

Who has the password?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:27:00 +0000

An often overlooked element of social media management is password administration. Regularly changing passwords for community sites (or any location where information is warehoused) is standard practice, but what if the community manager leaves, or, more commonly, what if you ARE the community manager and have mixed up the access info for your client's respective Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and YouTube accounts?

The chain of command should have access to all access info in my opinion, making products like LastPass just as essential as other project management tools.

NOTE: this post is in no way an acknowledgement that I have ever forgotten or lost the access info to a client's community channels ;)

Building Social Commerce

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:27:00 +0000

According to Wikipedia, the concept of social commerce was developed by David Biesel to denote user-generated advertorial content on e-commerce sites, and by Steve Rubel to include collaborative e-commerce tools that enable shoppers "to get advice from trusted individuals, find goods and services and then purchase them".

Generally speaking today's social commerce facilitates customer interaction and participation as a means of driving measurable business results. Commerce paired with social does well to reinforce the fact that smart social marketing programs are measured/measurable from both traffic and ROI perspectives.

From Clickz' Social Commerce 101: Leverage Word of Mouth to Boost Sales...

As social commerce marketers, we need to:

Craft relevant/resonating messages and make use of appropriate social platforms (social networking pages, blogs, forums, etc.) to get people talking about your brand, products, or services online.
Let these conversations unfold, but also encourage participation through promotions, contests, ratings and reviews, user-generated content (photo and video) uploads, and whatever else drives social interaction.
Analyze the conversations to find out what people are saying and why, to spot trends, and to find out exactly what customers want (read "market research").
Deliver products, services, and promotions that meet these needs.
Continue to get customer feedback, and integrate these findings with sophisticated analytics and marketing measurement tools to pinpoint exact return on investment of social programs.

The piece continues, stating that online businesses—or, arguably, all businesses online—are not all that interested in driving "shopping," but rather traffic, conversions, loyalty, satisfaction, and competitive differentiation. These are the metrics that lead to lasting sales growth. Social commerce allows companies to leverage their brand advocates and the content they create as measurable, impactful digital marketing assets.

"Is ALL content king?" or "How I was able to convert quality traffic"

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:39:00 +0000

Many digital strategists admit/proclaim that content is king, and I couldn't agree more. However, having said that, I think some elaboration is necessary before we embrace the adage wholesale. I'm all about content and insist that any online strategy include more than traditional site copy. When we operate online, regardless of our business(es), we become content publishers. And like any media, if you don't refresh your publications, people won't find you as relevant or useful as you may have been the last time you posted something "new". But not just any content will do. This may sound obvious to many, but not only do we have to constantly refresh our content, we have to create/publish relevant/resonating content that engages our target audience.

Just like any ad strategy, you need to target the right people, and once you get them to the desired destination, you have to provide them with (more of) what they were looking for. If you sell widgets, your content has to be relevant to your desired audience be they widget buyers, widget builders or widget enthusiasts. Perhaps you will grab the attention of an unenlightened widget newbie, but always keep your sites trained on the target, and continue to develop content based on that.

Once your content has hooked the reader and directed them to the desired destination, then you have to create content that provides them with more information, more value... ultimately your role as publisher is to help them make an informed decision and ideally lead them further down the path of conversion (sale, request for more information).

Maybe you want them to learn more about widgets before they actually commit to buying. Maybe they're not in the right stage of the buying cycle. How do you qualify that widget lead? How do you become relevant regardless of what stage of widget knowledge they're at? Give them more information about why you're different from the other widget sellers out there. Explain the differences between widget "A" and your competitor's widget "B". Explain why widgets in general (not just yours) are amazing and how they've helped multiple different sectors accomplish their goals. This content can take many forms and may even lead them away (gasp) from your site, but ultimately you'll have an engaged almost-customer who wants to hear more, and will tell others about your vast knowledge of widgets.

So, it's not all about a press-release-every-week until you get published in a trade or daily, or random microblogging about your day-to-day activities. It's not about (or only about) paying bloggers or other relevant media to spread your message. It's about providing value and informing your audience. It's about engaging them in conversations and helping them to make better decisions. And, yes, eventually, if the content has resonated and as a result they've come to trust your voice and brand, they will buy-in to what you're selling.

"My Dad, the protector" or "Snakes Beware!"

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:51:00 +0000

This was something I put together for my niece. She was doing an "oral history" presentation at school about my dad, her grandfather. My sisters and I were tasked with telling a story, recounting a vivid memory about dad. This is mine:

One of my fondest, most vivid memories of Dad is at the cottage in Gananoque, when I was somewhere between eight and 10 years old (I think... my memory is starting to go!). The cottage is quite different now than it was then. Not as clean, not as functional, not as "kid-friendly" as it is today. Back then the paths around the property weren't as well travelled, or even cleared, and getting from one end of the property (to explore, fish, forage, whatever) to the other was, in my young perspective, a huge excursion/adventure.

Nature and the more local/indigenous inhabitants (read: racoons, beavers, spiders and snakes) were more in control than we, the "part-time" tenants who only visited on select summer weekends.

Swimming was always fun, in water that was generally pretty cool (sub 20 degrees?), rocky-bottomed and, during this particular summer, snake infested.

Water snakes abounded that year, to the best of my recollection. Now and then you could see the nub of their little noses/heads poking out of the water while they swam from point to point—easier to see in calm conditions, near impossible with waves. This terrified mum, but she was unlikely to get in the water even in the best conditions. I recall being braver than that, but maybe I'm being generous.

ANYWAY, in the cottage, high up on the wall between the living room and what we called the "TV room" was a 22-calibre rifle. Dad's, I think, from his early years, or possibly Gampa's from before. Either way, it was out of reach and always a source of interest for me. It came down that summer (and some after) and took the lives of many snakes ("many" in my memory could actually mean three or four, but that's still pretty good!).

Remember, though, that these water critters only revealed the tiniest bit of their bodies while they swam... veritable icebergs, with 90% of their bodies concealed under water.

Dad, having been an army cadet in his high school days (I think), as well as having taken riflery lessons (I know, 'cause I took the same ones at our mutual high school, Trinity College in Port Hope, Ontario), was a good shot. A really good shot. At distances that seemed impossibly far, he would take aim at these intruders (NOTE: THIS ISN'T A CONSERVATIONIST/ANIMAL-FRIENDLY REMINISCENCE), get a bead on the nub of their noses and fire. The only evidence of their demise at the time was a splash in the water and the disappearance of the snake. Dad would mark the spot, wade out, find and display the snake's corpse (in victory or reverence, I can't recall).

This happened a number of times that summer, and we'd often visit the point off of our neighbour's property, deemed to be one of many sources of the snakes, to see the effects of his... population control (a truly conservationist contribution, now that I think about it). The numbers had dwindled, and I've rarely seen many snakes since, as the legend of his sniping prowess must have proliferated through the snake community and discouraged settlement in the area, making swimming and exploration safe for all.

We often put our parents up on pedestals, respecting and, in some cases, fearing their authority. Dad was a protector that summer. Unbelievably impressive in my eyes then, and pretty undiminished years later.

Two Women on a Mission

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:22:00 +0000

Wow. I thought parenting and managing a work/life balance was hard until I got a chance to talk to this year's recipients of Destiny Solutions' Mary Cone Barrie Scholarship for lifelong learners. I had to work when I went back to school for a post-graduate degree, but I wasn't married, I didn't have any kids and I had an incredible amount of support (both financial and moral) from my family and friends. Charlene Clay and Stephanie Taylor have faced so much adversity and cleared so many hurdles to get where they are today, and to make sure they get further in life.

I was able to interview Charlene and Stephanie last week for the Destiny Solutions announcement. It's great when your job provides opportunities like this to write about real differences your company is making. These stories are truly inspirational and force me to wonder what I do with all my time. Here are some excerpts from the release:

Stephanie Taylor:
"If you keep moving forward, you'll have a life to look forward to," said Stephanie, near tears, about her current philosophy, how she has kept going since losing her job in May 2009 and being diagnosed with cancer the following December. A year, five surgeries, and a battery of chemotherapy and radiation treatments later, Stephanie feels back to normal and has a renewed sense of how important education is.

"I didn't miss a single class during all of this," said the 46-year-old single mother of two teenagers who, uncomplaining and ever-optimistic, takes care of her kids, manages cancer treatment, goes to school and cleans to make ends meet. "I never thought education was important growing up, but I was wrong. It makes us better. With education, we can continually reinvent ourselves until we're the best we can be. It's a privilege, and this scholarship is helping me get my life back together. One thing this [the Mary Cone Barrie] scholarship has reinforced in me is to never, ever, ever give up." Stephanie expects to finish her degree in business administration at Buck's County by the end of summer, 2011. The proceeds of the scholarship will make managing the costs of school and medication a little easier.

Charlene Clay:
Charlene Clay was separated at an early age from her siblings and a mother battling drug and alcohol problems. Foster care and a series of abusive events followed, effectively stealing her hopes and dreams. Now, at 32, and a single mother of three, Charlene knows she has a chance to get those dreams back.

Charlene expects to complete her degree at Concordia this December, and is close to finishing a state-offered course in alcohol and drug counseling. She embraces her challenges, eagerly heading to school, volunteering at a treatment center and working as a customer service representative, all the while making sure her kids are safe and looked after. "Thankfully, they understand," she said. "I tell them 'hard work is great, but do you want to work THIS hard?' They won't have to work as hard as I have if they grow up with a support network and education."

Charlene's kids and her dreams keep her going. "My goal is to be able to treat young girls just like me," she said. "Girls whose moms and dads have alcohol problems. They don't have any hopes and dreams, or at least no one to tell them they can have some."

Education has always been important to Charlene. "It is the root of your life," she explained. "If you have education, you can go places. My message to other people? You can do it! Education is big. It's important. It just makes life easier."

Building Lifelong Learning Relationships in Continuing Education

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:40:00 +0000

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am the Director of Marketing Communications for Destiny Solutions. We develop continuing education management software that helps schools forge, manage and cultivate lifelong learning relationships. We're offering more than operational improvements. We're revolutionizing continuing education and workforce development by providing next generation intelligence for the new knowledge economy.

Anyone who has seen Kaplan University’s marketing campaign (“A different school of thought”) knows that the business of education has changed. “Where is it written that the old way, is the right way,” they ask in their “Desks” spot. “Where is it written that a traditional education is the ONLY way to get an education?” The campaign stands out because of its strong messaging around the fact that today’s learners are not well served by traditional learning models. It is a good example of how schools need to look at their learners as customers, and serve them appropriately. It spotlights the lengths schools are going to in order to capture interest, of how important it is to acknowledge that learning and education have changed, and how difficult it must be to convince learners that they should go to “your” school.

Times have changed. We are in a new knowledge economy. Markets are constantly changing, an incredible amount of pressure is being placed on the workforce, and students are forced to continually update and adapt their learning objectives. For schools, this means they are experiencing unprecedented demand, without the tools to manage it. “Community colleges usually see more students during economic downturns, but this time students turned to community colleges in much greater numbers than they did in the past,” said Judy Jeffrey, Director of the Iowa Department of Education in a 2009 report. “Unemployed workers are fueling unprecedented growth and waiting lists for many high demand community college programs,” she concluded.

This doesn’t just apply to community colleges. “Even in lean times, the $400 billion business of higher education is booming,” writes Tim Copeland in his blog Higher Education Marketing and Enrollment Management (May 6, 2010). “Nowhere is this more true than in one of the fastest-growing … sectors of the industry: for-profit colleges and universities that cater to non-traditional students.”

The implications aren’t just economic in nature. Yes, the entire business structure of how higher ed schools operate is changing, but at a very integral level so is their relationship with students. The definition of a student has changed and higher education is no longer dealing with throngs of people who are simply “going back to school.” They’re dealing with lifelong learners.

Check out how we're helping schools deal with this problem at Destiny Solutions.

Next Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:56:00 +0000

So, taking some big next steps in my career. Moving back to client-side challenges! Have to say I'm very excited and inspired to start (Monday!). Won't disclose each and every detail as yet, except to say I'll be the new Director of Marketing Communications for Destiny Solutions, the leading software solutions provider for Continuing Education and Workforce Development.

More info to come. Wish me luck.

On writing...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:37:00 +0000

A new friend and contact has been helping me with some creative choices regarding getting back to what we'll call "writing" versus writing. Not writing for web, press releases, PR and marketing strategy documents or business plans, but "writing" something that hopefully gets bound in book form, or digitized for kindle, iPad or (insert latest-and-greatest digital reader here) consumption.

At the end of the day this is, of course, a very personal, as well as practical choice, but this overview/article she sent me from The Rumpus provided an interesting take on a career as a working writer (in the US):

"First, you write three books. Write them in the mornings and on days off.
Publish the first one for free and sell the other two to a small press for
$36,000, or $18,000 each. After that, or really at about the same
time, get a fellowship to Stanford. This is crucial because it's
probably when you quit your job. That gives you two more years at
$27,000 a year, and the time to write a fourth book. You don't get
anything for the fourth book, at least not right away, in fact they
keep the first $2,000 in royalties. But a year later you make about
$20,000 in foreign rights. Your biggest score is the $50,000 you'll
get for the political book you'll write in less than ten months. This
is your fifth book. Every working writer does this. The only problem
is the hotel rooms and the flights, so you only make about $20,000 on
that and it really sells poorly. Then you get $30,000 for a year of
teaching and $10,000 the next year running a political action
committee + $2,000 for a short collection of erotica. Then comes the
year every writer has where they don't make anything. It's like an
unpaid sabbatical. It's possible to make $10,000 during that time
editing an anthology, if you can get out of bed. Then you can work on
a memoir or seek a position teaching writing in a University."

Damn. It sounded so good in my head...

SEO in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Connell) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Why do you need an SEO strategy? Seems pretty simple, these days, but it's not just high rankings and sales, it's reputation/credibility, marketing and PR (which, yes, relate to sales, but not in a typical or strict advertising model or sense).

Even with the best business model, an incredible team backing you up, and the ‘best’ website, people still need to find you. Once you get them to your site, you need to make sure they convert into... whatever your goal or objective is. Lead, sales, member, user, fan, contributor, etc.

What is it? It is a well-defined action plan that is based on clear, reasonable objectives. The best SEO strategy is the one you can execute and deliver on.

Now this is all pretty generic. Getting more specific and timely, I had a good read from Smartcompany in Australia:

SEO experts say the process of getting a website known will become even harder in 2010 with the rise of personalised and real-time search.

Social network Twitter sparked a trend when it designed the first popular real-time search engine. When users search for a term, the site would update that search with new “tweets” as they were being made.

Google has recently introduced a real-time search function of its own, complete with indexed tweets, while Microsoft Bing has made a deal to show tweets in search results. But Thomas says while 2010 will see a rise in real-time search traffic, businesses shouldn’t be too keen to pursue a dedicated real-time search strategy.

“I think people are still trying to figure out what to do with it. Perhaps if there’s a trending topic, such as Copenhagen or climate change, that’s where we could see real-time do some work because there’s an opportunity for someone selling solar panels to come in, using a message like “stop climate change” via solar panels or something. There is some real potential there.”

“This is where it could go, but it’s such an active industry, with optimisation and SEO changing. But I always say to our clients, stick to your knitting and don’t do anything silly.”

Jim Stewart, chief executive of Stewart Media, says real-time search will continue to grow but businesses need to be aware of the more subtle changes Google is making to its search algorithms.

“All of the normal SEO things still apply, even though Google is going forward with things like personalised search. That will surely play a part, but you still have to get on the front page at all before you get into someone’s personal search results.”

Stewart warns Google will be updating its speed-check feature, through which the engine checks how fast it takes for a user to connect to a website. If a business has any downtime, it could affect search rankings.

But Stewart also says Google could potentially lose its place as the top search engine, as users could migrate to other offerings or be wary of the company’s search power.

“I don’t believe the search engine is providing as relevant results as it did this time last year. I’m sure they know it, but it doesn’t seem to be working as well. I’d also love to think that people will begin to start using Bing more and more, but it has to become a better search engine before that happens.”

“The other thing is privacy. A lot of people already are pretty wary of Google and privacy issues, even to the point where Eric Schmidt said if you’re doing something on the web you don’t want people to know, then maybe you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Just some food for thought, and as I digest I'll provide some more insight, for what it's worth.