What questions do you have about digital marketing?

OK, I’ve been gone a while. I apologize. I had a very large client with a very large budget and I needed to focus on them completely. But now that the major presentation is done, I can go back to all the other things I was doing along with my job as a digital strategist at MediaSauce.

I get a lot of questions about what I would do with this or that on the web. Does Twitter work? How should I be using Facebook or Linkedin? What is the best way to get my site seen by Google? (This one is near and dear because I believe that if Google can’t see you, then you don’t exist.) All good questions but there’s a lot that I don’t know about your company before I start recommending how you should be using technology. more

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A business blog can do lots of things so it really depends on the company. I can tell you that we are not a digital company that immediately says you need a blog.

We are a company that will find out what you want to do, find out what your audience really wants from you and then if a blog fits our strategy – well then, we’ll suggest you start a blog.

But that being said, I am a big believer in blogs. Right now, blogs are very good at doing lots of great things on the web.

What is Princeton Premier

Driving traffic (#2 from the guys at SEOmoz.org)
Spurring conversations – Check out Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
Giving business a real voice and personality (Chris Brogan and Bob Rhubart’s Comments
Search engines love them
But they can also suck. Here’s a good list for knowing if your business blog sucks.

We measure our business blog by the traffic it generates and the conversations it spurs. Our chief evangelist, ScottyHendo, is very, very good at getting conversations going. Some of his more intriguing ones are:

I Gave $10 to David Armano to Help Daniela and Now I Regret It
Why Chris Brogan’s Kmart Moment Matters: Personal Reputation vs. Corporate Brand

But he is amazed at how much traffic my little post about Princeton Premier has driven for our blog.

I wrote it merely as an example of how I used searching and social media to find out about a company and then make a common sense evaluation of whether I wanted to do business with them.

But the blog post itself remains one of our top posts and continues to drive traffic to the site. It’s on the first page of the Princeton Premier SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for Google and it continues to get comments.

I never really intended for it to do anything but be part of our voice to help businesses understand that if you aren’t out there in social media spaces and being a part of the conversation, others will do it for you. And it may not be the message you want.

For Princeton Premier, I think it is bad. Their site is number one but almost all the other links are blogs calling them out for being a scam.

The lesson here is make sure you are constantly making sure that you know what is being said about you on the web. I use SM2 and Google Alerts for both my company and myself.

And then if you find something bad, knowing what to do about it. MediaSauce has several solutions for this that range from contacting the person directly to establishing a siteless web presence with social media.

If you would like to learn more, just give us a call at 317.218.0500 or email.

But back to my original purpose of this post, business blogs do work if you give them time and you write about things that your audience wants and you tie it into your business. Don’t give them just fluff. Don’t give them that old school marketing spin.

If you don’t believe in business blogs, I would like to understand why. Give me your feedback and experience.

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Funny little story about branding. I’m branded. I have a classic heart tattoo with my wife’s name on my right arm. It’s cliche but I love it.

One day a buddy of mine asked what would happen if we would get a divorce. “I can’t believe you put her name there. That’s just stupid.”

Obviously, he was divorced. “It was a wedding present. My choice,” I said. “And I’m not getting a divorce.”

“But what if you do?” he asked.

“I’ll cut my arm off,” I said jokingly. But that’s not true. I would rather cut my arm off then lose her. Anyone that knows me, knows this is a fact. I’m branded for life. more

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Use the very thing that bit them. Social Media. Let me explain.

So they totally screw-ed up. Motrin ran this ad on their site and moms around the world were offended (check out this blog from Sarah Evans) and struck back. Motrin brand managers quickly pulled the ad campaign and threw up an apology on the front page of the website. Check out the offending ad below. more

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Basketball is more than a passion in the state of Indiana.  At every level, people view the roundball as an important part of the state’s heritage.  

For those of you not tuned into the NBA, the Indiana Pacers have made a significant commitment this year to reestablishing themselves as an important part of the community in Indianapolis.  As a formerly casual NBA observer, I am beginning to experience early stage fanaticism. more

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What prompted the program? CEO Bryan Gray replied, “As the economy continues to shift and there is a level of uncertainty, programs like this are vital to those businesses that want to outwit, under-spend, and outmaneuver their competition.” The event will be results-focused, using specific case study examples that can help business executives apply to their business.

The session will be held at the new Clowes Auditorium at the IMCPL Central Library in Downtown Indianapolis. A limited number of tickets are available for $29 in advance (www.mediasauce.com) or $49 dollars at the door (if available). A light lunch is included with the cost of admission.

Download Press Release: “Mediasauce Announces Election 2008 Business Lessons Seminar“

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So here are the top ten sites to get the Black Friday Deals – I didn’t steal this from anyone. Just did a little research and this is what I came up with. more

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Recently, I traveled to NY to visit a client and help them with one of their learning websites. The business I did there was fine if uneventful but what happened on the way back to the LaGuardia really opened my eyes to how lost people can get in an online world.

First thing I blew it on was the directions. Instead of taking the time – and I have some being stuck in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere in New Jersey – I worked on a few projects and watched some TV. I could have easily gone to Google Maps or something and gotten directions but I didn’t. Instead I decided to trust my original Google map that got me to the business in the first place and just reverse my way back. That was big mistake. more

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We have a great group of talented, passionate people here at MediaSauce. As you would imagine, many of us are passionate about art and self-expression. That passion shows in our work and the endeavors we pursue outside of working hours.

A great example is what Jim Clinger, creative director/local arts impresario, and his friends at Primary Colours have done by creating Art vs. Art.  This is a unique art competition featuring side-by-side face-offs between same-day created paintings.  The winner is determined by audience vote; the loser faces the “Wheel of Death” unless someone’s generous purchase can save the painting from a ruinous fate. more

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This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to speak to a group of the most enthusiastic members of Indiana’s blogging community at Blog Indiana 2008 at IUPUI’s amazing new Campus Center. My topic was “Between the Posts” (which I admittedly have plenty of experience with) and it centered on using social media to connect people around your ideas, thoughts, posts, and so on.

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