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I had fun tonight talking to fellow IABC/Toronto members and guests about boosting your career through blogging. Thanks to Louise Armstrong, June Too, Trell Heuther, and to Steve Mills from sponsor CNW Group.
UPDATE: Please see Sue Horner's write-up of my presentation. She did a great job with it.
Some people asked for my slides, so here they are.
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If you’re an independent practitioner, you’ll want to be at the Professional Independent Communicators panel discussion on October 5, when Amy Sept, Susan Crossman and Andrew Schiestel share their secrets for social media success.
They’ll cover such topics as:
Please join the IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators for this event on October 5. For details and registration, visit the IABC/Toronto website.
To listen to a very short podcast with the guest speakers, click here.
See you then?
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I freely admit I’m a word nerd who edits copy wherever I find it. Walking by a lovely home in Old Oakville, I can admire the rhododendrons and yet cringe at the sign over the front door: “The Smith’s.” My proclivity to edit others' campaign material is documented here.
So now you know what I’m like. What did I think, then, when I saw this sign today?
Use shopping cart or hand basket ONLY while shopping. (Emphasis mine.)
To my old-school, grammar-loving eyes, this means that I am permitted to push a shopping cart or carry a hand basket ONLY while spending my money at this store, and not at any other time. So how do I tote six bags of groceries out to the car if I can’t use the cart?
Obviously the store management meant to say: “Please use ONLY a shopping cart or hand basket while you are shopping. No bags while shopping.” The red X over the cloth bag makes this clear. Too bad someone in head office doesn’t know where to place the modifier so that the image and the text agree.
Related post: I miss the copy editors and proofreaders
For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.
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Every day, often while on hold on the phone, I peek at my blog stats, especially the search terms people use to find various posts. From reviewing my analytics, I can see that people often search for podcasting tips, podcast scripting, social media marketing and a few other topics. [They also search for my name and company name; it’s always fun when someone hops around my site and then calls me. So far, I’ve been able to resist saying: “Yes, hello, I’ve been waiting for your call; I see you’ve visited my website four times in the past two days.” That’s just creepy.]
Last week I started writing a post about the topic of re-visiting and re-publishing old blog posts, when I came across (probably via Twitter) this great post by Tac Anderson called Tips for Getting the Most Out of Old Blog Posts.
Breathe life into old posts
First, Tac suggests freshening up old posts. Since, as he notes, about half of a blog’s traffic likely comes from search engines linking to old posts, why not update the oldies but goodies? After all, you KNOW what people are looking for. Why not serve up the content they want and need?
I’ve never republished a post verbatim; rather, I update it with new info, sometimes with a link to the original. For example, I’ve revisited many of my older posts about podcasting. And in some cases, I’ve recorded new podcasts on topics I’d first covered years ago. (As an aside, I realize that today marks six years since I launched the Trafcom News Podcast, so the back catalogue is pretty hefty.)
Tac also revisits posts that “didn’t do well” but “should have done better.” I admit I haven’t tried this tactic yet, but will. So far I’ve mostly focused on the popular posts.
Move your content to another medium
He also mentions taking your content offline. If you’re not already putting this into practice, it’s something to think about. Some of my posts have blossomed into screencasts, podcasts, or full-blown presentations. Right now I’m working on an ebook that began as a series of blog posts.
Thanks for the inspiration for this post, Tac!
How have you breathed new life into old posts?
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Does everyone know what you do? How do you remind them?
Listen here for an audio version of this post.
Trafcom News: How to stay stop of mind by donnapapacosta
I received an email yesterday that made me sad. It was from someone whose name I didn’t recognize, but I opened it because of the subject line. It was a plea for work. Apparently I’d crossed paths with this fellow at some point – me and about 40 other people whose names he put in the “TO” line. But let’s forget about this email etiquette breach. The important thing is this: He – let’s call him Joe -- was pleading for more business because things were too slow for him to keep his independent communications practice open.
That’s sad.
What’s even worse is that about a month ago, a colleague of mine was looking for someone with the precise expertise that Joe possesses. At the time, I wracked my brains, trying to remember if I knew anyone who was an expert in this niche. A search through my brain, my database and LinkedIn turned up nothing. No Joe.
Joe did not come to mind. And do you know why? Because even though we’d crossed paths at some point, he didn’t keep in touch. He didn’t ask to put me on his mailing list. He never offered me a newsletter. He didn’t have a blog – not one that I knew of, anyway. He wasn’t active on LinkedIn. Oh, and I just checked: He has a Twitter feed, with about four updates in the last three months.
So after Joe and I had that initial interaction – whatever it was – for all intents and purposes he disappeared into the ether, from my point of view.
As independents, we are always at risk of disappearing. Or falling off the ends of the earth. Or whatever doomsday metaphor you prefer.
So how do you save yourself from Joe’s fate?
The goal is to be top of mind so that you don’t have to send out a desperate plea as Joe has resorted to.
Don’t be him. Make yourself top of mind.
Of course there are many other marketing tactics that independents can use. But I think all of these that I’ve mentioned could have been helpful to Joe or to any writer, editor or communications or PR consultant. What would you add?
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Have you succeeded in establishing a personal brand?
Do people think of you first when they’re seeking someone in your field?
What was your aha moment when you discovered that you indeed possess a personal brand that can be cultivated? Do you use social media as part of this process?
I’m looking for examples of successful personal brands for a project I’m working on. Please feel free to comment on the blog or to tweet or email me.
Thanks!
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Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the audio podcast series known as the Tweep in Profile® - a short interview with members of the Twitter community, taking listeners beyond the avatar. Guests discuss who they are, what they do, and how they use social media.
This podcast is published by Andy Donovan, president of Donovan Group Inc., a communications and event management company in Toronto.
When Andy contacted me in the summer of 2010, asking if I’d be interested in conducting the interviews and producing the podcasts, I said yes immediately, because I love Andy’s energy, and I thought the project would be fun. It is.
From text to audio
Andy originally created the Tweep in Profile® as a written segment for his monthly e-newsletter. “Then I decided to bring these profiles to life through the human touch of audio,” he says.
Since then, we’ve interviewed Parker Mason, Danny Brown, Greg McLachlan, April Dunford, Ann Evanston, Rosemary Yeremian, Dave Fleet, Eden Spodek, Gini Dietrich, Michael O’Connor Clarke, Carol Roth, Dean Heuman, Erica Allison and (soon to be published) Rachel Foster.
Benefits of an audio podcast program
So has it been worthwhile producing a monthly podcast? Andy says yes: “Over the past 12 months this series has helped me to develop relationships with those that I have had on the program, as well as build profile for both the Tweep in Profile® and my company. In this time I have been interviewed by the media on the features and benefits of the Tweep in Profile®, and have been able to increase both search engine and social media optimization by incorporating the podcast into both traditional and social media PR and marketing programs."
Andy’s not alone in his enthusiasm for podcasting. A recent BBC piece questioned why podcasts hadn’t gained more traction, then pointed out how well they can work for niche audiences.
Marketing expert John Jantsch has also written extensively on the power of podcasting for small business, as a medium for featuring customer stories, opening doors, building your network and more.
From my own experience, I concur. My podcasting clients enjoy having their own “Internet radio show,” which allows them to narrowcast to a specialized audience.
Tips for success
Andy offers this advice to small business owners who want to add podcasting to the communications mix: “If you are looking to venture into podcasting, whether you are co-ordinating on your own or hoping to secure the talents of someone else, you really need to do some research – from the basics of conducting an interview, to the mechanics of recording and editing a high-quality piece, to learning how to distribute the end-product in order to attract, engage and retain a solid listenership.”
[Because I don’t want this post to turn into a testimonial for me, I’m omitting all the kind words Andy says about me as a podcaster. Suffice to say: If I ever need a reference, Andy is first on the list.]
Like Andy, I believe that podcasting allows you to bring stories to life with the human touch of audio. As he marks the first anniversary of the Donovan Group Inc. podcast series, Andy says: “I am happy to see how the Tweep in Profile® is progressing as a solid educational program for both newbies and veterans of social media alike."
Listen to the Tweep in Profile®
You can find the latest Tweep in Profile® social media news release here. The whole series is on iTunes here.
Interested in podcasting for your own business? I’d love to speak with you.
UPDATE: Read this American Express OPEN article on "Why small business should find a voice in podcasting."
Related posts
Do you want to improve your podcast?
Should you script your podcast?
How authors and other experts can use audio products
Coming up with podcast ideas
Yes, podcasting is mainstream
Podcasting works
12 reasons to podcast
Video version of a webinar: Podcasting 101 for Communicators and Marketers
Finally, a partial list of my podcasts about podcasting
For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.
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