Taming the Digital Firehose…One Tweet at a Time

By Brody - October 9th, 2012

A few years ago, I wrote a post on the benefits of Twitter for B2B organizations. At that time, the percentage of online adults that were using the platform was around 10%. If you had asked me back then to predict what that percentage would be in 2012, I probably would have thrown out 30% to 40%. Well the platform hasn’t fared as well as I would have predicted with only 15% of online adults currently using Twitter (2012 Pew Internet Research). This comes as a bit of a shock to me considering the integration of Twitter into just about everything we consume. Twitter icons are everywhere. Hashtags are displayed in the bottom corner of most network TV shows. Tweets are referenced throughout news broadcasts and sports talk shows. But still only 15% of adults are using it. Why?

Twitter is a Firehose

Digital publishing platforms, and the internet in general, have given everyone the ability to have a voice online. This very fact is revolutionizing our lives and culture, but unfortunately, all these voices just turn into noise because we’re all talking at the same time. Twitter, with it’s 140 character format, global reach and multitude of mobile apps, is among the easiest and most efficient platforms to utilize. Users can easily fire off anything and everything that is happening in their worlds (insert what I had for breakfast here). The firehose is wide open and it’s not surprising that Twitter newbies (often my clients) quickly get blown away by the relentless stream of irrelevant content and conversations that fill their profiles.

After a few visits to the platform, many people walk right up to me and this conversation ensues:

“Brody, I don’t get Twitter.”

“Ok. Do you have a Twitter strategy? Are you following the right people? What are the relevant hashtags within your industry? Has anyone ever shown you how to search or create relevant lists?” I ask.

“Uh…no.”

A Twitter of Hope

In the next five posts on this blog, I’m going to do a deep dive into Twitter strategy and try to help you tame this savage, noisy bird. I’ll also probably turn this series into an eBook after it’s finished, so I’d love to get your comments and questions to include within the content. Here’s a quick outline of what I’ll cover:

Twitter Profile & Content Strategy
Proactive, Targeted Following & Engagement
Twitter Management Tools, Tips & Tricks
Searching Twitter for Golden (and Local) Nuggets
Creating / Using Twitter Lists to Turn the Firehose into a Targeted Trickle

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A Template for Killer Blog Posts

By Brody - September 25th, 2012

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been prepping a big update of new client websites to add to our portfolio. As I went through the full list of sites we’ve launched in the past year or so, I realized a trend…100% of them have blogs. While not all of those clients are blogging consistently, their website data indicates increases in website traffic, search rankings, social engagement and sales leads across the board. Fresh, high-quality content truly is a business asset, and those who continually build their content bank will see dividends.

A New Process, A New Template

When I think back upon that same group of clients, I’m also reminded of the education that was required to help them learn how to blog effectively. Some picked it up naturally. Others needed significant coaching. All of them needed to figure out their own process for regular blog post ideation, planning and production. To continue supporting them, and perhaps you, I’ve created a new template that is designed to help you create thoughtful, purposeful content that is of value to your customers and ideally formated for effectiveness.

Download the Blog Post Writing Template

Website Content Template Components

Pre-writing questions: The best blog posts are those that address a specific question or problem, and they do it by telling a story. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and help them relate to the situation. Do your best to narrow down your response to three main points, but try not to completely solve the problem within your post. Provoke further action and find ways to tie your discussion back to your products or services. Provide clear direction on what the reader should do next. Are there specific, target keywords that relate to your post topic? Try to work them in as you write.

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Time to Get Back in the Blogging Saddle

By Brody - September 12th, 2012

I know it’s been pretty quiet around these parts, but our world seems to be calming down a bit and we’re ready to get back in the blogging saddle. Over the past year, we’ve been busy launching a software start-up (DivvyHQ.com), consulting with a steady stream of both local and national clients, speaking all over the country and trying to keep up with a bunch of kids all under the age of 6. To put it lightly, the Allure New Media camp has been anything but quiet. But that’s no excuse.

Our Biggest Marketing Challenge

Jayme and I just returned from Content Marketing World 2012. During the opening keynote at the show, Joe Pulizzi shared some new data regarding the biggest challenges that marketers face today. The biggest challenge that marketers face today, #1 on the list, is producing enough content to feed their marketing, online and social media channels. I feel that. For us and most small businesses, it’s easy to point the finger at “there just aren’t enough hours in the day.” But at CMWorld, Jayme and I gave a presentation on how to adjust your internal team structure and processes so that you start to act and consistently deliver more like traditional publishers. Think about that…Traditional publishers create high quality content every day. Why can’t we at least kick something solid out once a week?

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For Immediate Release: Introducing DivvyHQ, the Spreadsheet-Free Editorial Calendar Application

By Brody - September 13th, 2011

A lot of you know we’ve been working on something big… It’s finally here. Below is the official launch release.

The Launch of DivvyHQ™ Offers an Exciting New Solution to Content Marketers

Creators aim to solve inefficiencies and frustrations of current content planning tool: the 26-year-old spreadsheet

CLEVELAND, OH – DivvyHQ™ announced the official launch of its beta version on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio. Kansas City-based software company, Alluresoft, labels the application, DivvyHQ™, as the content marketing industry’s first comprehensive, spreadsheet-free editorial calendar application. The content marketing industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years as companies focus more on using content to connect with customers rather than traditional advertising. This growth has put content planning and strategy at the forefront of discussion, and with that, advice about utilizing spreadsheets (an often cumbersome method) to plan, organize and manage editorial calendars.

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Content Marketing & Merlot Episode 5: College Grads, Social Media & an Interview with Ahava Leibtag

By Brody - July 14th, 2011

Just a quick note to let you all know that our fifth episode of the Content Marketing & Merlot Podcast is live over at www.contentmarketingandmerlot.com.

Listen Now!

In this episode, we discuss whether companies should consider hiring recent college grads to manage their social media presence and Ahava Leibtag shares some content marketing lessons from the world of Healthcare.

Don’t forget to subscribe either via iTunes or RSS to be automatically notified when new episodes are available for download. Leave us a review on iTunes if you like what you hear!

Content Marketing & Merlot Podcast Episode 4 – Joe Pulizzi Interview

By Brody - July 14th, 2011

Just a quick note to let you all know that our fourth episode of the Content Marketing & Merlot Podcast is live over at www.contentmarketingandmerlot.com.

Listen Now!

In this episode, we talk about the recent story of the Alamo Drafthouse, how they turned a flaming voicemail message into a PSA, and then an interview with Joe Pulizzi dives into the challenges we’re facing as businesses in this new world of content marketing.

Don’t forget to subscribe either via iTunes or RSS to be automatically notified when new episodes are available for download. Leave us a review on iTunes if you like what you hear!

Video Series Episode 5: How to Syndicate Your Blog Content to Social Media Websites

By Brody - June 24th, 2011

First off, if you missed the first four videos in this series, here they are:

Episode 5: How to Syndicate Your Blog Content to Social Media Websites

Can’t see this video? Click here to view it on Vimeo. Click the full screen button above if you want a better view.

In video #5 of our series on RSS technology, I show you how to take your blog’s RSS feed URL and connect it to your social media profiles so that your blog content will auto-publish to those sites. I walk step-by-step through the process of getting your blog feed connected to your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, as well as publishing your content to Ning-based social networks.

We hope you enjoy this video!

Stay tuned (subscribe in the top right) for video #6 where we’ll show you how to use RSS to pull sales opportunities out of social networking websites.

Our Presentation at Wordcamp Kansas City

By Jayme Thomason - June 16th, 2011

Hey Campers!

That’s what we call ourselves when attending Wordcamp, the conference dedicated to all things WordPress. For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, WordPress is probably the most popular website and blog development platform out there right now and we swear by it. Therefore, we were ecstatic to get the opportunity to speak at the first annual Wordcamp Kansas City this past weekend (6/11 – 6/12).

A roudy bunch (225 attendees) of bloggers, designers, developers and tweeter gathered at JCCC to geek out on all the latest tips, tricks and plugins that WordPress has to offer. We had a great time and can’t wait for next year.

Here’s our presentation (NASCAR THEME INCLUDED) for those who might be interested. If the presentation isn’t loading in the space below, hit refresh, or view it on Prezi.com.

Our Blog