The Follis Marketing Report

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Alan Levy, the founder and CEO of a very cool new media called BlogTalkRadio. Check it out:

Listen to the podcast that lets you hear how other buisness owners solve their tough marketing problems.

Don’t confuse “marketing” with “advertising”. Some people hear the word “marketing” and think “advertising.” Not the same thing. And to grow your business you must understand the difference.

Traditional “advertising” is about paying for traditional media exposure via newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, radio, TV, billboards, etc. It’s generally designed to reach a broad audience and the ad/media costs will reflect that. For many products and services advertising works great if it’s done right.

“Marketing” is a broader term that involves any possible way to get your message out. That includes PR, direct mail, your logo and tagline, personal networking, giving talks and writing articles, and many non-traditional and online strategies like having an effective website, sending out email newsletters and promotions, buying Google Adwords, pay-per-click, SEO, and using “social media” like blogs and podcasts.

Effective marketing includes the right mix of traditional advertising and non-traditional online strategies.

I can’t recall being around as many people with a passion as I was last week at PodCamp NYC. It was delight to be around such positive energy and so many friendly folks sharing ideas and information about podcasting.

In his visionary book, The Pursuit of Wow, Tom Peters describes why the only products with a future are those created by passionate people. A bold statement. And yet, in an equally fascinating book, How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success, by Lucinda Watson, it turns out that twenty-one of the country’s most successful CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and visionaries all share one powerful characteristic:

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www.podcampnyc.org

When you combine the fastest growing market with the fastest growing social media, you have some very exciting business possiblilities.

According to Technorati, 33% of blogs are in English, 37% are in Japanese, and just 8% are in Chinese. In the next two years I believe you’ll see a dramatic increase in that 8%. So, if you’re a Chinese business, or want to be doing business with one, and you don’t currently have a blog, now is the time to start one.

To learn more about blogs, read How a Blog and Podcast can Build Your Business. And, visit Liz Strauss at Successful Blog. Also, check out NACEA (North American Chinese Entrepreneur Association).

Today I loaded up my iPod with 3-hours of podcasts and learned all kinds
of great new things about social media, blogging, and Web 2.0 marketing.
This was my classroom:

Just incase you’re not up with Web 2.0 terms and sites, here are the most popular:

Web 2.0
The second generation of the Web involving social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, video, podcasts, etc, which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing.

Social Media
The umbrella term that defines the activities that integrate technology and social interaction.

Blog
(short for ‘web log’) is a website formatted as an on-going log or diary of text entries posted by the creator or “blogger”. Unlike traditional websites, blog technology allows users to easily create a web site and then easily add content (text, mostly).

Podcast
An audio or video blog.

Facebook
Perhaps the most popular social networking website. It began as a way for college students to connect and is now open to all.

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