I will put more in the post later as I launch part two of my latest project.

But for now, especially if you work in health care, you may like to use our new CPD Calculator to work out how many CPD hours you need to earn from July 1st onward, 2010.

I will update later tonight!

Will

I don’t think I ever got around to posting whilst I was over seas recently. I had one of the busiest trips of my life so far, made some big deals and met some amazing people!

The Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the worlds largest gathering of publishers, rights sellers and authors from across the world. It is also a place where some of the ‘big guns’ in the industry meet and talk about where the future is going. Some talk about it as though they aren’t part of it, others as though they are creating the future and some like it’s already been on gone.

Nevertheless publishing in my opinion is quickly going to change and many people will be left behind.

The video above was made by O’Reilly media for the Tools of Change conference at the FBF 09. The conference was great! I didn’t learn as much as I would have liked but definately had some of my ideas and believes confirmed which is also a positive thing!

I’m planning on writing a decent post on the publishing industry in the next few days.

I recently listened to an interview on one of my favorite marketing Podcasts which was interviewing Tim Street, creator of French Maid.tv. Basically, they were talking about the idea of interactive video stories which told consumers about the product through a related journey. Ultimately, suggesting that tying this into social technologies is one of the biggest hurdles for companies in the future.

I saw this campaign when it was first launched thanks to Mumbrella and the Gen Y Marketing Podcast (another of my faves) but didn’t realise the significance of what was being done until I went right through the journey whilst I procrastinated for a University exam.

So, I thought I’d vlog about the whole thing.

Take away points:

1. Very successful integration of YouTube, Twitter & Facebook. User easily move across these three platforms.
2. Interactive video content was extremely innovative and user retention was around 80% of the initial video views.
3. I bought some after watching this campaign!

Hope you enjoyed…

Subscribe to my blog! |     Follow me on Twitter!

You have probably noticed how ebay has stolen a  large portion of the second hand trading market, sites have been established where you can rent goods online and those old pieces of paper that you buy for the cat litter is still being printed.

Well, not any more…

I just bought my first ebook reader and found a site that sells uni textbooks, so that’s the end of my bags breaking under the massive weight of uni books next semester!

Keep on following!

Finally, my moustache is coming along just nicely, check my day by day pics out here.

I’m growing a Mo for Movember and need your help.

I’ve had my first donation today from Zac Martin of $20.00 and am aiming at raising $700. So I NEED YOUR HELP!

Click here to read more about my mo, why I’m growing it, and see some pics of my mo in action!

Click here now!

Looking forward to your donations!!

Will

An ‘I Eat Media for Breakfast Production’.

The ongoing battle between the Australian Government, the asylum seeking refugees and the Indonesian foreign ministry has sparked me to have my say.

Have a watch…

My stance: Australia shouldn’t just open it’s doors, nor should we not allow anyone in. We need to develop a policy that deals with this problem in a structured way, rather than the boat by boat basis which is currently being used. It’s inevitable that asylum seeker numbers will increase as the world population grows and Australia remains spacious. Furthermore, although we need to protect our society and cultural values, we shouldn’t be scared of new ones. For many of us, we were part of the new cultures being brought to Australia 10, 20, 30 or 50 years ago, and we have been crucial in shaping Australia into the society it is today.

I hope you enjoyed and feel free to add some scrambled eggs to the breaky (your opinions that is).

Will

Subscribe to this blog |   Follow will on Twitter - Youtube



Image Credits

Bacon - Oceanic Viking - Coat of Arms - Population Clock - No Vacancy sign - South East Asia - ASX image - A fair go - Australians standing together - Australian defence plane - Boxing day tsunami - Boxing day Tsunami 2 - Boxing day Tsunami 3 - Boxing day Tsunami 4

Notes taken from the SEO session at Marketing Profs Digital Mixer - Chicago

Social Media & SEO

Social Conversations

Before I begin my notes I would like to officially claim the coin of WMS - Weapons of Mass Search

Liana began by rocking the establishment, the second largest search engine other than Google is Youtube, over 10 billion videos were viewed in the U.S. in August. The next big thing is Google chrome, it is built to fulfill customers needs. Google can track and manage all searches and display content/advertising accordingly.

Furthermore, search has taken content beyond the web-browser. Mobile devices such as the iPhone is an example of this. Content is crucial, but optimized content is king. Personally, I think that whilst this is true, context of content is important also. Google is following this notion by developing the context of how content is delivered.

It is important to know whether your audience is local, national or global. Optimise your content to these audiences, geo-tagging in Google can help you do this.

Final Thought: “Throwing Up Tactics Without A Strategy is Like Doing Nothing At All” - Liana ‘Li” Evans

Thanks for the session!

Sign up to blog updates here |   Follow Will on Twitter

Notes taken from the ‘How big brands do ’social media” at the Marketing Profs Digital Mixer - Chicago

How The Big Brands Do Social Media

The session started with the case study of Intel’s Ajay Bhatt (Co-creator of the USB), the theme of the conversation is engaging communities online. The ultimate message was socializing online starts with the the notion of creating an intimate brand experience with one person. One by one, ambassadors have been created for the company using online communities and networking tools.

In relation to twitter content created by major brands, it can’t be billboard info and it shouldn’t be used as a marketing information platform. Why? Well, because your customers aren’t there to buy, they are there to communicate personally. Social media is about building relationships.

Symantec comments on the value of ’super users’, or brand advocates/reps/”happy users” and their ability to spread positive information and ‘word of mouth’ about your product. A non paid army of advocates of your brand, connect with them and treat them well. Companies shouldn’t be prepared to pay them monetarily, but make them feel valued and recognize their passion.

Personal Thought: ‘Find the employees in your company who are most passionate about what they sell and the industry they sell in. Choose those guys as the ones who you want to connect with your virtual networks online. Chances are they will ensure there is follow up and that the person representing the company will be able to interact on a personal level rather than a commercial.’

One way I know of to track your brand on all social media sites: http://addictomatic.com/

Notes taken from the Marketing Profs Digital Mixer in Chicago 2009, Click here to find out more.

Notes taken at the Marketing Profs Digital Mixer in Chicago. Find out more here…

Email usability and marketing session: 9 - 10:30 (Day 1)

Thank you to Marketing Profs for the image.

The current consumer climate in the United States is one where email marketing messages are more popular than any other media. However, with the increase in email marketing material also comes a responsibility to ensure you have permission to email these people. Permission marketing as outlined by Seth Godin almost 11 years ago is a crucial aspect about online communication.

A recent report from a leading email service provider, Silverpop,  suggest that a simple link “Share to Social” will increase forwards of an email by 25%.

The case study of Chicago was presented as a “real life” combination of email, social and online marketing channels coming together. NAME shared Chicago’s email subscribers volume, 85,000 leisure subscribers who receive an email once a week. The email sign up page clearly states the frequency of when emails will be sent to the subscriber. It is usually 2 - 4 months before a visitor who signs up actually comes to Chicago.

Email content usually consists of a story, an image and a call to action. The lead story of ‘What’s big’ in Chicago followed up with four supportive articles. Call to action is usually mid story. Emails which are sent out attempt to mimic the website identically. In regards to social sites like YouTube, Chicago city found that many companies and people want to link to sites with great content. Ultimately creating the buzz will help generate traffic.

Interesting point. At the end of every article on your site include a link to sign up for more info. This improved opt in rates on Chicago City website by over 100%!!

Email Crucials:

• Open rate increase by subject line, identity (email sent by) and Trust.
• Conversions can be measured by creating email specific landing pages which are ‘hidden’ from mainstream site navigation.

Now for some morning tea…

Sign up to blog here |   Follow Will on Twitter

Introducing a Beta release…

Many of you would be aware of the work I have been doing over the past few weeks on ‘my new project’. Well, I’m pleased to announce, it’s 90% completed!

Australian Walks Frontpage

The site is called  Australian Walks.com

This site is designed to allow you to find, share, submit and discuss the walking trails of Australia. Whether it is an evening stroll or a 7 day hike, you can describe the journey here. Some users will find new walking trails, others will share their favorite walks with the world.

The site is currently at a stage where you can submit new walking trails. I am working on the search function at the moment and expect it to be ready in the next few weeks.

Right now…

… I need your help! Share your favorite walking trail with me and the world. Do it, NOW!
Go and explore…