The Follis Marketing Report

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:

Reprinted from CT Business Magazine Dec. ‘07

If you’re involved with a business then you know how challenging it is to stay on top of a competitive marketplace. You may also know how challenging it is to stay on top of a constantly evolving Internet. With that in mind few things in recent months have generated more buzz than blogs and podcasts. And, maybe you know all about them. But, if you don’t or aren’t sure how they can help your business, this article’s for you. (more…)

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

So I was on the phone today with yet another expert promoting yet another marketing seminar. Considering that this “expert’s” website gave me a big fat ERROR message when I logged in, I was even more curious to find out about this marketing genius.

Apparently, her “How to Market Your Business” seminars were doing quite well. (According to her, anyway.) So, as she was answering my questions about her fabulous seminar — and trying to sign me up — I Googled her. (more…)

(From my Social Media 2007 talk in Chicago.)

1. Smart/Sexy Brand Builder
It’s a Cost-Effective, Easy, Cool Way to Get Your Company Message Out:
- Do something that fits your brand.
(ie. Church podcasting sermons, Publisher podcasting book excerpts.)
- The “Cool” factor.
It establishes and/or reinforces a forward-thinking/leadership perception.
(Depending how well you do it. Be creative.)

2. Broad, Free, Easy, Distribution.
- RSS feeds (ie. Feedburner)
- iTunes
3. Ad Media Outlet/Tip #1: Take advantage of the self-promotion without being tacky.
- Use “soft-sell” plugs for your own products/services. (Embedded content.)
- Because of the strong niche aspect of podcasting, listeners will be much more receptive.

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In our hype-happy, what-to-believe, Information Nation, it comes down to one very basic thing — credibility. What is the Good House Keeping seal of the of the present and future?

For many, it’s blogs and other social networking venues that foster and spread open discussion and untainted perspective on everything. That open-source context has given way to the term “Street Cred” as a new barometer of credibility. With the proliferation of this Internet Truth formula, I suggest one better…

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Technorati is THE authority on what’s going on in the world of weblogs. They help people search for, surface, and organize bloggers and their daily posts. Check it out at www.technorati.com
Technorati Profile

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can be an effective way to attract business for many, but not for all. If you’re selling a niche product or vendor service, it can be a great tool. But, if your business is a top tier professional service you might want to think twice before investing too much time and money in SEO. Here’s a real call I received from someone who found my ad agency through a search:

Caller: Hi. We’re looking for someone who can do TV commercials. Do you do that?

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