Slow news day today. Check out my post from Sunday’s Marketing Pilgrim as well.

Make ‘Content Anticipation” Your Goal – Marketing Pilgrim

It Pays To Know People In High Facebook Places – Marketing Pilgrim

Foursquare Locates More Funding? – Marketing Pilgrim

Matt Cutts on Content - Content Mission

Look for these ‘updates’ daily to let you know where I have been writing. There is a lot going on!

I have been absent from updating my blog yet again. Sorry.

I have been busy trying to make a living. This blog is not exactly a financial windfall believe it or not .

I have been busy elsewhere though and I guess that’s part of the point of his post. I started Frank Thinking About Internet Marketing from nothing. At least, I thought I had nothing. I did have some good friends and business acquaintances who have since become friends. The result has been some recognition for my blog and a minor role in this funny industry of Internet marketing.

Now, it’s time for a change. A real change. I am now the Assistant Editor at Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim and that’s a very good thing. I work closely with Mike Moran and his Biznology blog, which is another very good thing. I consult with many companies on Internet marketing A-Z.

It’s the last point that is going to change. You see, consulting on all things Internet marketing A-Z is just not possible. Sure you can help and I know I do but the reality is that there is too much for one person to know in order to really be useful regarding all things related to Internet marketing.

As a result I am moving into another area that is really what I enjoy and that is content marketing. It’s a bit of a ‘catch-all’ phrase as well but it is really about taking your ideas in your mind and turning them into some form of Internet consumable whether it is the printed word, images, videos, social media outlets or any combination of the these.

In the end it is about content generation. It’s not content for content’s sake either. It needs to be thoughtful, relevant, engaging and pleasing to the consumer and search engines all at once. No easy task but I have found that with my many years of business experience coupled with my industry knowledge and my innate ability to write I can provide excellent value to clients. That’s fun.

So I am really turning into a contract content producer. No, I don’t write for Associated Content, Aol. or Demand Media for $5 an ‘article’. That’s content for content’s sake no matter how they spin it. No, I talk to companies about their content issues and help them address their very specific needs. The goal in all of this is to convey the right message and the passion of a business to their customers and prospects alike.

Lastly, I am preparing to put an idea into motion that I have been kicking around for a while. It centers on content marketing, of course, and I hope it will be something that will give the industry and those interested in the industry something to look forward to. I will keep everyone posted as it goes.

So for now, Frank Thinking About Internet Marketing will get attention but not like it used to. Too many things have changed about me and my world since the start of this blog to make it the centerpiece of what I do. That’s why I am changing things up a bit. I will be updating here but when I can vs when I feel like I have to.

So if you have any needs for content generation by a seasoned professional I can say that I almost fit the bill . Call or e-mail me and please let me know what it is you do. You never know. Maybe we could help each other.

Steve Jobs is a disruptor. His company creates disruptive technology and he says things that are disruptive whether they are intended to be or not. I am not an Apple fanboy although I will not go back to a PC ever again, God willing. As a Verizon customer and heavy Google user I am going to be getting an Android OS smartphone in the near future (HTC Incredible looks like a good choice right now) despite having an iPod Touch which I can have the Apple app experience through.

I say that to set the stage, in a way, because Jobs said something at the D8 conference that will draw the ire of many in my field. He said the following as reported at The Next Web when talking about the iPad, the future of journalism and other ‘important’ matters:

“I don’t want to see us descend into a nation of bloggers. I think we need editorial now more than ever.”

I agree with him. The last thing we need is journalistic anarchy where anything goes because anyone wants it to. I blog. I write here (not often enough for some – check the comments) and I write for others like Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim and Mike Moran’s Biznology blog. I write for clients. I write a lot and it is mostly in blogs.

Having said that I would never call myself a journalist. I have friends that are true journalists. They know how to break stories and report them properly. They know how to conduct effective interviews because they have been trained to do so.

Me? I go on my gut, my many years of experience, my limited grasp of how others think and I then form opinions. I then write those opinions to bounce off of others and hopefully add to the conversation. Occasionally, I will do something that is completely original but I think the value I bring to people is as an aggregator and a voice (sometimes quite the contrarian one) that comments and adds to the situation (or tears away at it depending upon your point of view). I make mistakes. I have typos in my writing (although I truly hate them). That’s not being a journalist, per se, it’s more of a perpetual Op/Ed position.

I think it is a valuable service to provide. I don’t, however, go the extra mile to say that I am a journalist. What I am willing to recognize and tip my hat to are the people who report the news and are paid by organizations with large infrastructures to do so. These people feed my ability to comment and give opinions. Without them I would have some spare time on my hands.

If we were just a nation of bloggers and didn’t have an industry that has standards and is held in some esteem (which admittedly has been eroded significantly by irresponsible bias flowing through reporting and being passed off as OK) there would be no way to tell who is right or wrong. It’s like moral relativism. It doesn’t work when in the end everyone makes up their own rules and everyone is right by default. It’s a flawed system and philosophy in life and information dissemination as well.

As a result, I think that descending into a world of bloggers, as Jobs puts it, would be a significant step down in quality of news collection and distribution. Believe it or not, I actually agree with Rupert Murdoch about paywalls and the need to pay for journalistic quality. If the Wall Street Journal was just a collection of egotistical bloggers it wouldn’t be as important or influential ( of course egotistical journalists that are unchecked aren’t so hot either). That kind of journalistic standard requires money. The same goes for the New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post and on down the line. We need them to survive. Otherwise, the noise of the Internet will become louder, more deafening and will ultimately fall to the lowest common denominator. That would be tragic.

So Steve, I agree that a nation of bloggers is not a good direction if that happens at the expense of real journalism. It’s when we all co-exist peacefully (or at least respectfully) that the magic will happen.

I have been delinquent in my posting here at Frank Thinking.

I did, however, need to acknowledge the incredible men and women who serve and who have served in the US Armed Forces. Thank you.

And to the families of those who lost loved ones while they served to protect our country, I send my heartfelt condolences. I have an idea of how that hurts. I will be sure to pray for you all.

Lastly, thanks to my beautiful daughter for the artwork. We all learned a lot today about sacrifice and what the brave men and women who serve are doing for us so selflessly.

Peace.

Have you ever attended an outdoor event like a wedding or a big party that was formal or semi-formal dress? Most people have whether it was a corporate outing or something that was just a little out of the ordinary. I think most would agree that events like these can be great except for one thing: the restrooms.

Now, this is not the kind of thing that guests think about at these events unless of course the event host has contracted for port-a-johns that would be better suited for a college football tailgate party in a stadium parking lot. You know the kind. The kind that make most people adopt the “I’ll hold it until I have to be hospitalized” approach to getting some ‘relief’.

Well, if you work with Christine Sweeney of atlanta watercloset (the small letters are intentional) you will not have to worry about ruining your classy event with a classless restroom arrangement. Why? Because Christine has recognized a gap in a market that many wouldn’t think could be a business at all. Here’s how her new website describes her new business

Atlanta watercloset provides exceptionally clean portable restrooms for outdoor special events throughout the metro Atlanta area. Our fresh and clean luxury portable restrooms feature flush toilets, fresh water hand wash sink, interior lights, mirror, coat hook, shelf, brand name toilet paper and much more.

Christine is a classic SMB Internet marketing and general business story that began with an idea and has become a business. So what makes her unique? Well, in her industry she stands out like a sore thumb since she isn’t the typical “port-a-john” type (that’s her to the left). As a result, she works with wedding and event planners as well as complementary service providers like tent rental companies on a truly professional level that allows her to do what she does best: serve the customer with the best result based on their needs and desires.

Her marketing efforts are what every SMB should be considering. She gets out and does the face-to-face networking that is critical for relationships. Always has been and always will be. Where she is differentiating herself, however, is the understanding of how online and offline advertising / promotion / marketing etc all play together to give customers and prospective customers a look at her business from what ever angle they are being introduced to atlanta watercloset.

So what exactly is she doing? Here are Christine’s own words to tell you more.

Networking – I’ve looked into some different advertising but so far the easiest (and cheapest) way for me to spread the word is by going to local chapters of national associations that are related to the events industry.  For example:  NACE Atlanta (national catering executives), GAMPI (Georgia Meeting Planners International), ISES (International Special Events Society).  I’ve also stayed informed that way of other local networking that may be good for my business.  So far the response has been very positive.  Now that just needs to translate into more bookings.

Advertising – I am doing some advertising on a bridal website, atlantabridal.com.  This helps me stay involved in local networking events so I can make sure to meet all the right people who can benefit from my offering.

E-mail marketing – Through mailchimp.com.  Super easy to use templates to let me send updates to my contacts so they can see photos and read info about my events and new information/offerings.

Website – My site is very basic as I didn’t want to spend tons of money to complete and didn’t think that was necessary at the moment.  Although it’s basic it has the look and feel that I was going for.  With your help I incorporated relevant search terms and worked with my web designer to make sure all were included.  When I was at an event last week I had an event planner tell me she searched for portable restrooms on yahoo and my site came up.  I thought that was great considering it’s been less than 2 months. (Frank’s note: Who knew that actual business searches were still happening on Yahoo?)

Social Media – For now for social media I’m using just facebook.  It’s been a great way to post updates and show photos of my events.  I’d like to get more fans and am working on that.  I wish I did take video to post to YouTube when my trailer came off the driver’s truck and went across a very busy street before my 1st event…

Her latest entry at the top of her Facebok page is from the review section of AtlantaBridal.com. Great use of announcing her success to others who may be interested.

All in all, a real strong effort right out of the gate for a small business competing in a rough industry in one of the largest metro regions in the country. I have suggested to Christine that she carry a FlipMinoHD or Kodak Zi8 or something like it to capture those spur of the moment video moments but other than that I think that any SMB would be smart to follow some, if not all, of Christine’s example.

What are your thoughts? What else can Christine do to get maximum mileage from her SMB budget? I am looking forward to responses, as I know Christine is as well.

Need I say more?

]]> http://www.frankthinking.com/google-whisper-ads-video-from-the-onion/feed/ 0 http://www.frankthinking.com/new-focus-here-at-frank-thinking-about-internet-marketing/ http://www.frankthinking.com/new-focus-here-at-frank-thinking-about-internet-marketing/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 16:18:10 +0000 Frank Reed http://www.frankthinking.com/?p=1329

It has been about a month since my last post. I do that from time to time and it’s not intentional. It’s often a matter of time and creativity. At times I run out of both while at other times I run out of one or the other. Recently, I suppose it depends on the day.

As a result I have come up with something that is more about getting regular posts up here and giving people something to chew on other than my ramblings about Internet marketing and the like. I am also looking at this new ‘format’ because there is another project I am working on that is specifically pointed at content marketing which is where I really belong.

So here’s the new approach. I will be posting twice a week on Wednesday and Friday.

Wednesday’s will be dedicated to ‘case studies’ or actual examples of businesses doing a great, good, average, not so great and crappy job of Internet marketing. If I don’t have a particular relationship with a business I am just going to pick one and critique it. If you have any businesses you would like me to look at please send your suggestions to me at freed@frankthinking.com.

Friday’s post will be a recap of all the posts I did that week on the various places I write for each week including Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim and Mike Moran’s Biznology blog. Occasionally there are other places I write for that will be included.

I hope this works for regular readers. Heck, you have hung there this long without me having any real form or format to follow so why not stick around for this, right?

Tomorrow I will be featuring a very unique little business in Atlanta. Stop by and check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for your indulgence in Phase 23 1/3 of Frank Thinking.