Congratulations to the participants and winner of BIG AUSTIN’s BIG Idea day!

April 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

BiGAustin held their Big Idea day luncheon last Friday which is an event to award the winner of their annual business plan contest. Hundreds of small ‘micro-business’ entrepreneurs submitted their business plans and participated in a three month selection process. Three finalists were chosen and got to present their business at the BiG Idea luncheon where several hundred in attendance were asked to submit their vote for the winner. The winner received a $5000 award to help grow their business along with additional support services provided by Big Austin and their many partner sponsors. We participated in the BIG Idea Day by donating our time to produce ‘Meet the Finalists’ video profiles of the participants.

Big Austin is a non-profit organization founded and headed by Jeannette Peten that helps and supports the growth of Austin’s small business entrepreneurs. They provide a special focus on minority and women owned business and have successfully nurtured literally hundreds of fledging companies find their footing. We got to work with some of the people behind the organization of BiGAustin and their dedication to helping support these companies was amazing. What really struck us was the sincere gratitude each of the participants expressed for the support BiGAustin had given them - including the runner up’s, whom were not competing on Big Idea day. We were excited about being able to give of our time beause we absolutely believe in the cause of supporting small business. We thoroughly enjoyed working with each of the finalists to produce their videos. They are each extremely passionate about their companies and it shows.

Meet the Finalists!

Gayle Skiera - The Money Academy

Erin Sheppard & Angela Colbert - Austin Baby!

Faith Beltz - South Austin Birth & Wellness Center

See their videos!

And the winner is…………Gayle Skiera from the Money Academy. Congratulations Gayle - job well done! “The entire process of the competition has been a fantastic experience that has opened up many new opportunities and possibilities.” Gayle said of working with Big Austin.

Our hat is off to Jeanette, Claudia, Chelsi, Edith and the rest of the hard working team at BiGAustin for their tireless support of the Austin small business community. And, I’d like to offer a special thanks to Michelle Anton, the keynote speaker and an associate producer of The Oprah WinFrey Show as she provided some rough edit ideas for our video profiles.

Here’s to the entrepreneurial spririt within their organization and the entrepreneurial spirit they help to nurture and inspire!

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BigAustin Video Profiles

April 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

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Control & ROI for Businesses Involved in Social Media

April 16, 2008 | 2 Comments

As a company providing content marketing programs for business clients, a big part of our efforts with clients include the use of Social Media & Social Networking approaches. Now, let me couch this statement by saying that, in many cases, many Social Networks are overkill for many businesses. There are 5-10 new sites popping up each day, so it can be a challenge to manage a budget and true involvement necessary to support such wide-ranging efforts.

We keep a narrow Social Media /Social Networking focus for clients just getting involved - Internet Video, Internet Audio & Podcasts, Blogging, Linked In and perhaps a FaceBook or MySpace, depending on the client. Social Media sites serve as the the medium for Educational and Conversational Content Marketing programs that companies must be including in their mix today if they want to remain relevant in the eyes of their buyers. Social Networking sites serve as the community connection for buzz, listening & engaging in customer conversations and for developing the super user or evangelist network. For a business to really engage in this way, there must be a commitment to be involved and not try to ’skid across the surface’ and apply a corporate PR-type approach. If a company is not truly willing to get down into the trenches of SN, they should stay away so as not to do more harm than good.

The two major questions & objections we get from business clients about Social Media/Social Networking are:

1. Control & Transparency
2. ROI

Control & Transparency
Companies are very concerned about HOW to add business blogging, for example, without losing absolute control. Many are afraid of User-Generated comments or complaints ending up on the corporate site in a way that can’t be controlled. Our response is usually that there needs to be a corporate training & mission to allow each department within the entire company to blog & share in that conversation. The only thing worse than not being in control is not being involved in that conversation AT ALL.

A great example of this is the Sam Adams beer recall this past week. This wonderful, conversational-marketing company that has connected with so many customers through its commercials with the founders, brewers and staff, raised the PR-Brick Wall this week and didn’t get involved in the conversation & concerns by its customers. They have tarnished a stellar image by allowing their corporate PR company or team to go into Damage Control mode that downplayed the issue as if nothing really happened. This is bad!

ROI
This is the other big question… How do we determine Return On Investment. This is why many companies have hired Social Media Marketing specialists who have no budget, no revenue-related goals and no real mission except to “Go figure out what the hell this Social Media thing is all about!” BtoB Magazine has connected the ROI to Search Engine Optimization efforts in its mission to connect its readers to something tangible to Online Marketing.

In our view, the real ROI debate comes down to this… Buyers, whether consumer or business, want to truly connect with a company before making a purchase. So, if a company does not start to engage in this new form of building connections with its constituents, then the company will begin to lose market share to those perhaps smaller, more agile competitors do.

SM/SN allows a company to build credibility in the eyes of the buyer and, implemented and managed correctly, can lead to quantifiable results to capture leads & ultimately to lead to revenue like Direct Response can. BUT, a company can’t view this as just another advertising or marketing medium - it requires a whole new way of thinking to benefit from this shift in commerce.

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Get Off Your Computer - It’s About Real Life Connections

March 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment

 My brother/business partner and I are heading to WordCamp Dallas this weekend - actually being held in Frisco, TX - just north of Dallas. (As a side note, I told Julie Gomoll of LaunchPad Coworking last week that this is being held in Frisco and she was just about to remind me that “folks in San Francisco don’t like being referred to as Frisco” until I clarified  - Frisco,  Texas. )

In any case, we’re using this weekend to connect with a bunch of WordPress related people with whom we’ve been emailing, commenting on their blogs and otherwise connecting through Social Media. If you are going to WordCamp Dallas - please comment or drop me a line. We’d love to meet!

It is actually perfect timing because we’ve just started a  new trend for ourselves - getting off our damn computers and off of people’s blogs - and actually going to meet them, grab coffee or a beer. We’ve initiated some pretty amazing new relationships this way so far, but in only the way that could have come FROM Social Networking & our own Social Media strategy.

If you write a blog on a regular basis, whether about your take on the coming election or sharing your expertise on Content Marketing, obviously, over time, your personality tends to shine through. All the better for getting to know someone, or someone getting to know you, before a real life, face to face meeting. You actually walk in knowing the person rather than walking in cold. How cool! In the last few days, we’ve had some pretty amazing meetings that all spawned from blog postings, content on our websites and just general desire to know more like-minded people.

We first met Julie Gomoll to talk about LaunchPad Coworking - coming to Austin in the next few months. Check it out - you’ll love it. And, we are going to begin working with Julie and her team to create a regular video profile of their process as they work with their architect and move to open their space.  More to come here - I think you’ll love it.

 Next we had coffee (lots of coffee that morning!) with Jack Hollingsworth. Jack runs a long time high-end stock photography company here in Austin. He’s a very cool Austin business owner who is in the throes of rethinking his whole approach to business life. We met in his amazing studio and talked all things photography, video production, blogging and social media. We intend to continue that relationship and do some fun, profitable things together as we go.

So, I challenge you to get off your butt, leave your computer on your desk, and go meet at least 2 new people each week. Don’t try to turn them into sales calls, don’t look for how you can make money off that person - just make a new connection with someone you want to know. Then, do it again, and again. It turns out, that’s how real, fun and passionate business happens naturally.  

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The New Way…Only Way to build a Website

March 14, 2008 | 2 Comments

When was the last time you refreshed your Website or even updated content with new information for that matter? If you need to think about it, then it’s been too long. For more reasons than I can fit in this post you need to keep your content fresh and relevant. But, let me point out 2 of the two most important: 1. The search engines will reward you for it and 2. Your customers flat expect it and need it if you want to help them buy what you sell. ‘Nuff said.

You don’t need to look too closely to notice our entire website is based on WordPress. This is not by accident – we are all about helping our clients present fresh content and WordPress makes it easy. You cannot beat it for its dead-easy to use content management system and search engine friendly structure. Now anyone can update their website. Because WordPress is easily optimizable, your site will naturally rank higher for search terms related to your business.

Is it a website or is it a blog?

Our site is based on the Revolution theme by Brian Gardner at BG Media.
Brian has blurred the lines between a website and a blog. His themes feature drop down navigation and home pages that look more like a homepage than a blog…in fact it is a website and a blog…all in one. Brian flat makes WordPress sit up and do tricks, which is great news for the rest of us. And he is back at the ‘lab’ brewing up new themes as we speak.

We got a Face Lift!

Think WordPress will cramp your style and not give you the design flexibility you need? Think again. We needed a website refresh and wanted a clean, uncluttered design - our goal was to frame our content rather than be flashy or splashy. We turned to Randa Clay at Randa Clay Design. First of all, she is a top notch designer and has worked with some of the big guys like The Limited and Victoria’s Secret coordinating and executing full scale marketing initiatives. Secondly, she is a WordPress wizard and has become the defacto expert in designing for WordPress. If you want it done, Randa can probably do it in WordPress and do it well. Have I gushed enough? Well you get the picture. We couldn’t be more pleased with the result.

If you would like to achieve a similar result, give one of us a call! Or click here

.

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What ever happened to Speaking in Plain English?

February 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The need pontificate in silly, arcane, language is alive and well and still spouted by corporate giants for corporate giants. It is embraced, evangelized and even rewarded at the top corporate ranks and right there leading the charge are the high flying marketing giants rolling out a consistent flow of language that absolutely no one can understand.

The following snippet is actually taken verbatim from a current, big time, cutting edge internet marketing firm – renamed with a fictitious moniker to protect the guilty:

“What makes Fancy Pants, LLC unique is our ability to synergistically combine many areas of digital marketing expertise to deliver exceptional solutions for our clients.”

What does that mean? I mean really, this is a big company with ostensibly some of the most talented and well paid people in the industry creating marketing language for some of the largest companies in the world…and that is how they describe what they do?

I can just imagine how a consult with these guys might go:

Me: So how could you help my company with marketing?
Fancy Pants, LLC: Well, we can synergistically combine many areas of digital expertise.
Me: So I need that?
FP: Indeed, to truly measure velocity it is critical to unite strategy, insight, creativity and technology.
Me: And what exactly does that do for me?
FP: It will give you the ability to radically transform your business to deliver exceptional solutions.
Me: So, can you just sum it up for me?
FP: Reaching your customers in today’s complex environment requires relevant interactions at every stage from awareness to conversion and retention. We unite strategy, insight, creativity and technology with rigorous program management to create integrated, interactive solutions. Consequently our solutions resonate with your customers to produce measurable success.
Me: Thank you, that was very informative.

Huh??

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Local Search Tip - Google Local Business Center

January 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

As we all know, when running a small business it is vital that we find the highest value services to support your company’s growth. So, if you don’t have a Google account yet, go get one now.  

 Among many great tools and services, you’ll have access to the Google Local Business Center. Not sure what that is? Go to www.google.com and enter a local search phrase, such as ‘Austin Mercedes Repair’. You’ll see a handful of local companies come up in the ‘Local Business Results’ section, which even include maps to the providing companies. This is a huge step in being found when someone is searching for what you sell in your local market.

 If you haven’t done this, go do it now. Either log-in or register for a free account at Google.com. After logging into your account, choose ‘Local Business Center’ and complete the process. Another simple and powerful tool to raise your exposure to people who want to buy what you sell.

If you are trying to build exposure to your blog or website, then I would suggest that you subscribe to either our RSS or Email subscription. I will show you techniques, tips and strategies to help you raise your profile with your prospects. So join me and follow along.

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Blog Marketing Tip - Commenting On Other Blogs

January 15, 2008 | 1 Comment

Go check out a great post from Anthony Kirlew a.k.a Old School SEO - “How 30 Minutes a Day Can Result in 250 Inbound Links”. Hopefully you already recognize that, generally speaking, some simple, daily activities can help your search engine rankings tremendously. Two big factors are frequently updated content and ever-increasing inbound links from relevant sites.

 Now, before you start slamming me with all the ins-and-outs of SEO, I get that it involves tons more. But, the point I’m making to the small business with limited time & resources is, get involved in the blog community with others in your industry. Read their blog, comment on their blog and then write frequently on your blog. Doing that will impact your site in pretty surprising ways.

 Check out Old School SEO’s post here…

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Our Blog is Starting to Grow

January 14, 2008 | 2 Comments

Our Austin, Texas Duct Tape Marketing blog has finally achieved a Google Page Rank (PR3)! If you are not sure what Google Page Rank means, check out the technical definition on a Wiki article here. But, simply speaking, it is a Google-provided ranking number, based on popularity, content quality and inbound links. While a site may rank well in Google for certain keyword phrases, it takes a while (6 months in our case) after launching a new site to be awarded a Google Page Rank. It is an indicator that our website and blog is moving the right direction, with more people linking to us, reading our content & blog and listening to what we have to say about Small Business Marketing Strategies.

I’m sure many of you may be saying “who cares”. It is easy for someone to get a Google Page Rank. Yeah, I get that. But, let me give you a bit of background to illustrate why this is such a big day for us. My business partner/brother, Charles, & I started Forest For The Trees in mid-2007 after being involved with 2 companies we owned, and hundreds of client companies, to help grow their business. We finally decided that our approach and skill set was very unique to the marketing consulting or marketing coaching world, we decided it was time to get this company moving. But, we did a bit of an experiment to show that we know what the hell we are doing and could jumpstart a company on a shoestring - just like many small businesses would be doing.

A bit more background… Charles originally started a specialized products company over 5 years ago and I joined him about a year later. (Now at that point, Charles brought many years of successful Business Development in Corporate America and I brought many years growing and running small companies, with a specialty in Internet Strategy.) We received our patent after 4 years of work and generally went through hell & hundreds of versions while growing the company to where it is now. We are (we think), in final discussions to sell the products company. But, with most of our capital (especially Charles) tied up in this products company until it sells, we had to bootstrap Forest For The Trees. So, we’ve been working at least several times a week, if not daily, building links, adding educational content to our site, blogging about small business marketing and attempting to build a community of readers. This takes time to happen organically! So, getting to this point means that that the strategy that we’ve been following is beginning to pay off.

If you are trying to do the same thing with your blog or website, then I would suggest that you subscribe to either our RSS or Email subscription (on the upper right column). I will show you techniques, tips and strategies to help you raise your profile with your prospects. So join me and follow along.

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The Rich & The Strong

January 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I was out for a morning jog today and had my usual odd combination of content on my iPod. Of course you have to start-out with The Eagles “7 Bridges Road”… what could get you jump-started better than that. Next, I move into Army Rangers Cadence because I always loved to run to cadence when I was in the the National Guard years ago. Next, I move into some old pod-casts of NPR’s Marketplace (I told you I was a bit odd).

Anyway, each Marketplace reporter was re-playing their favorite interviews and recordings of the past few years. One was an interview with a man living in New Orleans in the months after Katrina. He was camping behind his house, working by day to make repairs so he could move back in & reclaim his home. He told the reporter that because of all the massive changes (understatement), the only people that were going to make it were “the rich and the strong.”

That statement resonated with me as I’ve been wondering, along with the rest of us, what is really coming down in 2008. The sub-prime mortgage crisis, pundit’s talking of recession… yet I look around and I see just the opposite. I’m working with people who are starting new businesses, quitting their jobs to go full-time with a business they started earlier, and expanding existing companies. They are taking chances & boldly forging ahead.

I, like many, struggled after losing most everything when the Internet industry collapsed in Spring of 2000. We lost our company, our home and almost all momentum. It sucked, but we got up, dusted ourselves off and struck out again. It has been long and hard and I’m sure the challenges from economy & world problems will kick us again… maybe this year. But, that’s life. As this lonely soul in post-Katrina New Orleans said, “the only ones who are gonna make it are the rich and the strong.” Are you strong and ready to go?

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