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The Klingon Guide to Online Marketing

Like the yawning vacuum of space, the online marketing world is an untamed frontier and surviving there takes toughness and adaptability.

Star Trek the original series via Wikipedia
Fair Use for identification and commentary

I guess the recent launch of the Star Trek beta Website inspired this post to some degree. I've always been a huge fan of the show and one alien race I was always able to connect with was the Klingons.

Though always depicted as "the bad guys", the antithesis of the good and noble Federation, already by the end of the first series, fans were seeing the Klingons were not the ogres they appeared to be.

Far from simply an evil empire bent on subjugating the galaxy, the Klingons were later portrayed as a proud, hunter and warrior people attempting to survive in a competitive and sometimes hostile universe.

Though I certainly hope this isn't how you see your market today, I think the Klingons still present a great example of the kind of tenacity and adaptability every online marketer needs in this rapidly evolving field. Here are just a few of the ways online marketers can learn from the Klingon work ethic:

Always project the right image

The Klingons are feared and hated by their enemies. OK, obviously this isn't the kind of image you want to project to potential customers or clients, but you get the idea. The Klingons are taken seriously because of the image they project, and you must do the same. Later we find out that most of this image is just for show. The Klingons simply have a lot of poverty on the planets they control and have adopted the philosophy of taking what they need. But cruising around the galaxy complaining about their poverty wouldn't command much respect. In the same way, you'll find that customers and clients are far too busy to worry or care about your problems. Create a great product or service that people can't ignore or a brand that resonates and you'll have no shortage of attention and respect.

Be sure to leverage your efforts.

The Klingons' can-do attitude is well-known by fans. In the third season episode "Day of the Dove" from which the above screenshot was taken, they are outnumbered and outgunned but still unafraid to take on the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In online marketing as never before, size has become largely irrelevant. It's learning to leverage your strengths and skills that matters. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and tools like e-mail and blogs allow you to market on the level of the largest firms by carefully planning your campaign to reach your desired market.

Patience, vigilance

d7f2
Originally uploaded by quantumdtell

A favorite phrase of Klingon commanders and a great strategy for every online marketer. Make no mistake, your brand cannot be built overnight and takes careful monitoring over time to respond to a changing online community. Blogs, social media, viral video marketing and the rest have made it possible for online marketers to gain an incredible advantage creating the kind of impact that once required a much larger marketing staff and allows online businesses to operate at a much lower overhead, but there is no shortcut to sustained success and your campaigns will be in need of constant attention.

Understand the rules.

Famous for their warlike ways, the Klingons understand the fortunes of war as well, good and bad. Because of this, they will not negotiate with an enemy for the release of prisoners and will meet defeat with the same sense of pride and honor they do victory. In the same way, online marketers must understand the rules of the new interactive environment on the Web, from the give and take of social media to the comment and thread etiquette of blogs and forums to the feedback on user review sites like Yelp. While these tools make it much easier to get your company's message out, they also make it easier for criticism and complaints to get out there too. The name of the game is engagement. Never miss the opportunity to respond to comments good or bad and always make an effort to make things right.

(Shawn Hessinger is a professional blogger at PostRanger.com providing blogging and social media for a variety of businesses and organizations worldwide. Shawn is committed to creating blogs and social media services that are beyond the ordinary and works with a variety of clients to this end including helping businesses and organizations get their blogs and social media presence off the ground.)

How To Network Like Guy Kawasaki

When it comes to using social media for networking purposes, plenty of gurus have sprung up with ideas about how to leverage the latest tools.

Guy Kawasaki SXSWi 2008
Originally uploaded by deneyterrio

But few people have probably served as a better example of how to use social media as a networking tool in practical terms than former Apple Computer chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki, now Entrepreneur in Residence at Garage Technology Ventures.

While many marketers may use social media tools around the Net as a way of simply amplifying a single stream of content (say from their blog for example) and others, like Seth Godin, have resisted jumping into using too many tools, Guy has been very active through a number of channels, especially Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and his blog "How to Change the World", and often creates unique content for each.

This on top of a highly visible career as an author, public speaker and entrepreneur.

So, how can you learn from Guy's unique approach and use social media as the ultimate networking tool to manage career and other connections and drive your brand and vision while locating others who share your passions and interests? 

Be yourself.

Too many approach social media, from blogging to Facebook to Twitter and all points in between, by worrying about the kind of image they hope to convey. Guy uses his blog, Twitter, Facebook and other means to share his own vision and some insight into his thoughts and ideas. From promoting his latest investments, like AllTop, to commenting on everything from legalization of Marijuana to the effect of home computers on students' grades, Guy's social media efforts are simply a reflection of who he is and what he's about rather than a well-planned online marketing campaign.

Focus on brand.

While Guy's approach to social media is certainly not as a marketing-only channel, he is able to focus much of his content around a simple but powerful brand created out of his mantra to "empower entrepreneurs" and all of the things he shares through his various social media hubs focus on information that enhances the self-development, lifestyle and ideas of entrepreneurs like himself.

Guy Kawasaki at front of USS Nimitz
Originally uploaded by Robert Scoble

Make meaning.

Taken from his book The Art of the Start and repeated in many of his public appearances, this two word phrase explains an important component not only of what makes a great startup but also of what makes great social media. More than simple content shared with no cohesive structure, and with the high signal-to-noise ratio inherent in sites like Twitter and Facebook, Guy's content is focused on sharing value with his followers. Think of a conversation you might have at a chamber mixer or other get together with fellow business leaders. Consider the meaningless small talk about weather and traffic you might experience on one end of the spectrum versus the endless pitching and hard sell at the other. Now compare this with a conversation in which great information and insight is exchanged. Which of these participants would you most want to network with and possibly do business with in the future?

Seek participation.

Using social media for networking involves more than just one person and is not one-way communication, any more than a conversation is. When networking with social media, don't simply talk at your audience. Ask for participation...and don't be afraid of what you receive. For example, Guy's last few posts are part of an "examples needed" series in which he is trying to gain input on a variety of issues like how companies celebrate success.

Keep it real.

While blogging and social media experts insist on a regular editorial schedule and a consistent online marketing strategy, including analysis of keywords and other SEO, Guy brings a really simple approach to his social media networking, talking when he's actually got something to say and on topics that interest him. Never a disciplined blogger, as the term is usually applied today, Guy once took a nearly month and a half vacation, from April 17 to March 27 of this year, between posts. It has never mattered to his fans because, with Guy's network, it's all about keeping it real. Make no mistake! Regular editorial schedules and attention to online marketing considerations can be critical to a blogging or social media marketing campaign. However, when using social media for networking, remember to use it like you would any social interaction in the face to face world.

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Are you interesting in harnessing the power of social media for your online networking needs? Learn more about how social media networking can help grow your business today!

(Shawn Hessinger is a professional blogger at PostRanger.com providing blogging and social media for a variety of businesses and organizations worldwide. Shawn is committed to creating blogs and social media services that are beyond the ordinary and works with a variety of clients to this end including helping businesses and organizations get their blogs and social media presence off the ground.)

How To Outsource Your Blog

Of course, everyone's heard of outsourcing jobs and various kinds of administrative support for your business and Tim Ferris wrote a book not too long ago about outsourcing your life, but can you outsource your blog or social media and should you?

Well, one reason this has become such a controversial discussion is that blogs have their origins in personal online journaling and when it comes to business blogs are supposed to show your expertise, hence they ought to be written by you.

But looked at another way, blogs are simply a type of content management system which can be used for a wide variety of purposes including marketing and as such can be extremely valuable for SEO of your Website in terms of providing constantly fresh content for search engines and using keywords that your business would like to rank highly for on Google.

So, the question becomes whether you really could or should be spending the time creating a marketing blog for your product, service or business when a professional blogger can do so just as efficiently, including extra time it would take you to familiarize yourself with the strategy of keywords, linking and community building necessary to build that blog's search engine ranking and traffic.

This is time spent away from your core business, the one you are truly supposed to be an expert in, to create a blog and social media marketing campaign. If you make the best bagels in Brooklyn or the best software in Seattle, where is it written you've got to be an expert blogger and social media marketer too?

Outsourcing is easy. Simply hire someone to take over editorial management of your existing blog as you might a company newsletter or you can contract with a company that can create, host and maintain a new blog for your company. The blog can be linked to your main Website or can simply promote your brand online.

Discuss in detail the brand you are trying to promote, the keywords you hope to be ranked highly for and any other details you feel are important to include in the blog. Content can include anything from general news in your industry to interviews and testimonials with satisfied customers and perhaps occasionally news about your company, new products or services etc. 

If you're thinking about outsourcing an existing blog or about setting up a new one for your business or organization, we would love to be of help. Contact us at info@postranger.com and learn more about what blogging can do for you.

(Shawn Hessinger is a professional blogger at PostRanger.com providing blogging and social media for a variety of businesses and organizations worldwide. Shawn is committed to creating blogs and social media services that are beyond the ordinary and works with a variety of clients to this end including helping businesses and organizations get their blogs and social media presence off the ground.)

What Darth Vader Can Teach Us About Social Media

The dark lord of the Sith has been getting plenty of press these days, what with French psychiatrists recently diagnosing him with a borderline personality disorder.

Darth Vader
Originally uploaded by ewen
and donabel

Well, duh...

But as everyone who's watched even the first three Star Wars films knows, Darth Vader a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker has both a good and bad side.

It's kind of like that with PR, something we occasionally get into with our blogging and social media services here at PostRanger.com.

***

Of course, everybody knows that public relations has had a checkered history too.

And some folks don't hold with the idea that this particular form of marketing or communications is completely legitimate. In fact, some might even call it undemocratic.

No small part of this point of view is probably thanks to a gentleman named Edward Bernays. The nephew of the founder of modern psychology Dr. Sigmund Freud, Bernays is a person many credit, sometimes notoriously, as the inventor of PR.

See the video below for more on Bernay's shenanigans, including the starting of a war in Guatamala on behalf of United Fruit and the Eisenhower administration. (A big shout out to Aaron Wall at SEO Book for drawing our attention to this video.)

Now, watching this stuff might, of course, incline you to feel, as Aaron suggests, a bit cynical about marketing in general and PR in particular. But remember, people have been marketing really good products for a very long time without causing wars or engaging in what sure seems like propaganda and outright lying in a way that proved injurious to others in the process.

So how does a legitimate small business or organization get the word out about their products, services or cause through things like social media, blogging and all the rest without resorting to all this nasty manipulation and deceit?

Well, the answer, in our view, is pretty simple and once again we'll turn to our ventillator wearing, lightsaber swinging dark Jedi for the answers:

What are you doing?

If you're a fan of the two Star Wars trilogies, you'll no doubt recall Vader being involved in some pretty nasty stuff, from the slaughter of innocent young Jedi in Revenge of the Sith to the blowing up of an entire planet full of people in the original Star Wars movie. When marketing your product or service, resolve not to do anything you feel is questionable or even downright immoral (Like vaporizing an entire civilization or something perhaps just as reprehensible on a smaller scale like lying about a product or paying for bogus testimonials). Never do something or ask your social media company or PR firm to do something you know is wrong, no matter what the end result.

Why are you doing it?

In the Star Wars films, Anakin/Vader is more often motivated by negative emotions like anger, fear and pride and it's these emotions that lead to his downfall. In your efforts to market and promote your product or service, are you genuinely trying to share something positive with your customers or simply trying to manipulate them into purchasing a product or service you yourself don't believe in or into electing a candidate who supports values you think are in question simply for the lure of a big pay check?

Is it the truth?

In the last film of the most recent trilogy, an evil Sith lord lures Anakyn Skywalker to his dark destiny with the promise of learning the power to prevent the death of his young wife, a promise never varified as truthful even in the end of the movie. Are you telling the truth about your product or service? There was a time when falsehoods from little white lies to big whoppers (like forgetting to mention that the shampoo you're selling makes people's hair fall out or that the bookkeeping service you offer isn't provided by certified accountants) could be easily concealed. But today, in the age of the Internet, most such falsehoods are transparent to everyone via negative customer comments and other information available to consumers online.

***Bottom line: Darth Vader used the same techniques, weapons and abilities as his Jedi brethern who didn't turn to the dark side. The difference was what he did with his powers. Use social media wisely to provide good marketing and PR whether you hire an outside firm or do it yourself. Adopt honesty as a policy and always tell the truth when promoting anything online or off. The results will be reward enough.

(Shawn Hessinger is a professional blogger at PostRanger.com providing blogging and social media for a variety of businesses and organizations worldwide. Shawn is committed to creating blogs and social media services that are beyond the ordinary and works with a variety of clients to this end including helping businesses and organizations get their blogs and social media presence off the ground.)

Add traffic to your Website with a blog

A blog will add traffic to your Website.

Woman's Home Blog Book
Originally uploaded by
Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Whether it is part of your site or on a separate site with its own URL (or Web address), blogging is simply too powerful a promotional tool these days to ignore.

Blogs edge out more traditional static Websites with their regularly updated content attracting attention from search engines and readers.

Free options for blog hosting include:

• Blogger, a user friendly but somewhat clunky platform associated with Google
• Wordpress, a more technically sophisticated platform that requires a bit more technical skill
• And other offerings ranging from SoulCast, LiveJournal, Vox and Tumblr to blog platforms on other social sites like MySpace

Or get your hosting, unique Web address for your blog and professional posting handled at a low, reasonable cost with a professional blogging service. More on why your business needs blogging below:

Creating tables for your professional blog with HTML

Creating tables in HTML for your professional blog or  Website, like the one surrounding the text and photo in this blog post, is simple and fun, and a great way to add visual variety. Table Setting Originally uploaded by tracyhunter Here's how it's done: Add the table tag beneath <body> near the top of your Web document Add the tag in this form: <TABLE border="10"> or experiment with different border dimensions depending on your needs Add the <TD> and <TR> tags to establish the basic row and cell for your table Add paragraph tags, photos, video and blockquotes as applicable Close your tags like so: </TD>, </TR> and </TABLE> For more on how to create your own tables or your Website or blog, right click over this article and select "view source" on the pull down menu to view the code for the table in this blog post.

Promote your blog or other Website like a rock star

Promote your blog or other Website like a rock star with social media and comments on popular blogger sites.

Star trails over a rock
Originally uploaded by Sam Meztli

Once you've created your professional blog or other site and posted it online, there is plenty left to do, even if you've done a good job of Search Engine Optimization.

That's because the material on your blog may take time to develop an audience and a conventional Website will soon look stale to search engines without additional inbound links from other popular sites and additional traffic flowing through those links.

To promote your blog or Website, it's a good idea to create profiles on some of the more popular and active social Websites--Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr--as well as on some of the more popular social bookmarking sites--Digg, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon.

Once you've created your profiles, don't simply promote yourself with repeated links back to your site. 

Instead, contribute to the community by leaving helpful links to other sites related to your topic, commenting on posts from other members and occasionally posting photos of events or products. Soon, if you're lucky, you'll notice a slow but steady trickle of people visiting your profiles to find out more about you.

You can also comment on popular blogs related to your topic. If your comments are thoughtful, helpful, contribute to the overall discussion related to the latest post and are not overly promotional, visitors to the blog may follow the link back to your site and a blogger may be inclined to link to your site in a future post.

Pimp your blog or Website like Rolling Stone

(Editor's Note: The following article talks about how to pimp your blog or Website like Rolling Stone by creating formatted question and answer pages including interviews with experts, customers or just about anyone to add visual interest and variety to your site. Whether you plan to hire a professional blogger to set up your site and create content or do it yourself, remember this tip to add interest and value.)

Like a Rolling Stone
Originally uploaded by Renata_Pancich

Q: So what's the idea here and what exactly are we talking about?

A: You're familiar, of course, with the iconic Rolling Stone interviews with musicians and celebrities which really transformed the nature of journalism and defined the famous magazine from which they take their name.

Q: Sure. Oh, is that the reason for the unusual formatting of this post?

A: Exactly. Interview pages like this one are an easy way to add variety to an otherwise stale looking blog or Website, provide some personality, grab attention and even drive more traffic to the site.

Q: So how do we get started?

A: Easy! First, identify someone you think might be a good subject for an interview. It could be an expert in a particular field, a business associate, a customer, a friend or even a fellow blogger or Webmaster. Make it clear that you will provide outbound links to a desired Website or Websites of their choice as an incentive for participating.

Q: And then?

A: E-mail them a list of questions. Make them short and open ended giving plenty of room for comprehensive response. You might ask them about their business, their expertise, ask them to give examples of what they do or to tell a story about how they got started. Anything you think the readers of your blog or other Website might find interesting. When you get the questions back, simply format them separating questions and answers with the <p> and </p> tags for paragraphs. You can also add <strong> and </strong> tags at the beginning and end of each question to make them stand out in bold.

Q: Anything else? 

A: Near the top of the page add a JPEG headshot if your subject has provided one (It's always good to ask) or some other visual element appropriately sized for the page. Above that, add an "editor's note" like the one at the top of this page including keywords to make the site appealing to search engines. You've created a page more interesting than any ordinary promotional copy, an interview that conveys information while also entertaining the reader and a page your subject will likely want to promote on his/her own site increasing your traffic as well.

(For more on how to use interviews to improve the content of your blog or Website, please read "Creating better blog posts with interviews" at PostRanger.com)

Promoting your YouTube videos with professional blogging

Promoting your YouTube videos or a whole video channel with professional blogging has never been easier with the installation of a YouTube badge like the one below.

Made for one of our most recent clients, a Web video production company in Lehigh Valley, PA, the badge was easily created with an app by Harper Reed, an engineer at SkinnyCorp LLC in Chicago.

Here's Harper's Website with a bit more about him.

As a basic overview of his application, Harper explains:

Basically it will create a nifty little png file that you are able to include in your profile, blog, webpage without too much trouble. It is QUITE easy to use and will show your viewers images of your 6 most recently uploaded videos.

Whether you create a blog yourself or hire a cool little company like ours to setup and maintain a creative a professional looking blog for you, don't miss the great opportunity provided by this neat little tool to showcase and promote your YouTube videos to the world.

To get started making your own YouTube badge showcasing your top videos for the world to see simply:

• Visit Harper's great little badge creation page
• Pop your YouTube username (the one for the channel you are planning to feature) into the window next to the words "YouTube Username"
• Push the get code button to the right of the window
• Copy The snippet of code that appears with your browser and return to your blog or other Website
• Paste the code into your blog either into a custom HTML widget if provided or directly into the code of an open source document if your blog software allows this in the area where you want the badge to appear.

Other badges include widgets for Flickr and Wishlist. Enjoy!

Promoting professional blogging with Facebook

Promoting professional blogging for your small business with popular social media site Facebook can be easy using a Facebook Fan Page badge on your blog.

Whether you take a do it yourself approach or hire someone to create your small business marketing blog for you, linking your blog to a Facebook fan page is easy using a snippet of code and will promote your Facebook presence too.

On this page, see the Facebook fan page we created for a regional news site, Lehigh Valley Source, built and maintained by the PostRanger.com team.

Adding a Facebook badge to your professional blog promotes your fan page to those visiting your blog and allows them to join your growing group of fans if they are already a Facebook member.

Once logged in as one of your Facebook fans, your readers can also help spread the word about you, you're blog or your business throughout the Facebook community including inviting others in their Facebook network to join and to visit your site.

To get started creating and adding your Facebook fan badge to your blog:

• Visit the Facebook widget page and browse through the badges and other Facebook widgets available.
• Select the personal or business profile badge or box you prefer and click to be taken to the to the badge setup page.
• Configure your badge or box if necessary to fit your needs. Some badges offer a variety of display options.
• Choose the "other" option under the heading "choose where to add the badge" and paste the code provided into your blog either in a custom HTML box or within the body of the blog document itself.

You can size the badge by entering the HTML code of your blog and altering the height and widgth measurements in the code of your new widget.

Need some help creating your blog? Contact PostRanger.com today and we'll see what we can do to create a professional blog for your business or organization.