I just wanted to plug this really cool (and free!) event SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING put together by my friend and ‘marketing misfit’ Mayra Ruiz-McPherson. If you are a social media geek or just want to sound like one, swing by the Johns Hopkins University’s Montogmery Campus in Rockville, MD to hear social media guru Dave Evans wax poetic on all things social media.

Details below:

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:
A Fireside Chat with Social Media Marketing Superstar Dave Evans
Author of Social Media Marketing: One Hour a Day and Social Media Marketing Columnist for ClickZ.com Network

Location:
JHU Montgomery Campus in Rockville, Maryland

Date/Time:
Monday, March 9 from 6-8pm

Complete information including background, event format, video clip and why you can’t miss this event:
http://cli.gs/gPDN73

FREE REGISTRATION:
http://socialmediastardom2.eventbrite.com/

When you get a chance, check Mayra’s great post on Dave: http://cli.gs/gPDN73

I’m may be there as well!

–Sibyl

In my last post on laws 1 through 4, I discussed the “outer laws” and importance of having a vision, doing your research, planning ahead, and paying for professional advice.

In this post I want to discuss the “inner”, more personal laws that will help create a more successful site and life.

5. You Can Judge a Book by Its Cover

For your website or blog

As a business person, you have probably spent many months or years cultivating your business image on paper. The same care should be taken with your online presence as well.

The first thing most people will see about your business will be your website or blog. First impressions count and users will decide whether they want to do business with you based off the look and feel of your site. Consider what your online presence says about you and your business:

• Are you cutting-edge?
• traditional ?
• or casual and modern?

Whatever your image online, make sure it is inline with your organization’s vision.

If your site’s image needs some revamping - hire a professional designer (see Law #4). And remember this: the designer is your partner – not a lackey. While I applaud clients who have a vision, that vision should be flexible and open enough to incorporate new ideas. Don’t micro-manage the very process you hired the designer to facilitate.

On the other side, don’t let the designer “tell you what your image is” while you offer little feedback. Or you’ll end up with something far from the image you want to project.

For your life

Unfortunately, we can often be judged initially by how we look vs on what kind of person we are. To put your best foot forward, always look your best (which can still be done even if your budget can’t afford the best fashion). It is often said people who are deemed more attractive are treated better, are promoted faster, and even make more money.

In fairness, I don’t recommend you go out buying a $10,000 wardrobe or go investing in plastic surgery. I instead suggest we all try and remember this: confidence, intelligence, and a positive attitude can also largely impact how we come across.

6. Stay Focused

For your website or blog

Evaluate your site’s focus with these questions:

• When people first visit your site or blog, can they tell who you are and what products/services you offer?
• Can users find what they need without digging into the recesses of your site?
• Does your company blog have too little pertinent content (but too many pics of the company picnic)?

This brings us back to Law #5 above. How your site is structured as well as the kind of content you feature can seriously affect your credibility – not to mention the bottom line for your business.

If you aren’t able to hire a professional (Law #4) then you need to do Law #2 – research! Go online and research interface design and usability experts to see what makes a well structured site.

For your life

Something I struggle with on a regular basis is staying focused. If you visit my desk at work, you would see my computer completely covered with sticky notes. This “organization” is the only way I can stay on top of things. (I had a planner but I kept forgetting to write in it!).

While I don’t champion this particular method of organization for everyone, staying focused and organized will allow you to “get things done” and save time you can dedicate toward your business and personal goals.

7. Put Yourself Out There

For your website or blog

So now you have started an amazing new site/blog. How to market it?

A key way to get people to your site is to have it as searchable as possible. The biggest search engine is of course Google. One of the best ways to increase rankings within Google is through content. Your site’s/blog’s content should have fresh, regular, pertinent content to help raise your profile in Google. The richer the content, the better your ranking. I recommend adding your site and blog to Google Analytics.

Another great site with search optimization resources is SEOMoz.

For your life

Market yourself like you do your site i.e. check to see how you rank as an individual on Google.

If your ranking is low and - Heaven forbid – someone with the same name (and a less stellar reputation) is ranked above you, you can adjust your ranking by blogging or twittering for yourself and others. Personal brand specialists William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson suggest:

Every Monday morning, Google yourself and keep track of any changes in your results.

Also network regularly (not when you need a job) with others in and out of your field.

8. Stay Positive

For your website or blog

Remember the Golden Rule!

Having a blog, it can be tempting to share and I mean share everything on it. If you want to use your blog for professional reasons, think twice on doing this.

If a potential employer or client happens to come across your blog, do you really want them to read blog posts about the trials and tribulations you experienced with a particularly difficult client, for instance?

Probably not.

Recently, a PR exec leaving from an out of town meeting with FedEx decided to Twitter, rather derisively, on why anyone would want to live in that particular town. Well they got a shock when FedEx found out. And they weren’t too happy.

The moral is: You never know who is listening.

For your life

Believe me I know how hard life can be. Sometimes it seems no matter how hard you work to fulfill your goals, obstacles get thrown in your path. Modern life creates stresses that affect your body and mind. And my recommendation when things get to be too much is go somewhere private and have a good cry or scream! But at every opportunity, try and remain positive! The last thing you want to do is bring people down around you with a negative attitude.

I’ve also found that meditation can be effective against the “blues”.

But please note: if you find your “blues” preventing sleep or proper function for extended periods of time, please consider seeing a health professional.

When overwhelmed, Dr. Wayne Dyer says: “Look for simplicity in what you call complicated by seeing that in this moment, it’s not hard.”

9. Be Balanced i.e. don’t try and do it all yourself!

For your website or blog

Sometimes you are just too busy to update your site’s content or company’s blog.

One word: delegate, delegate, delegate!

If you can’t delegate the duty to a colleague see if it is something you can “farm out” to a professional web content writer.

For your life

First of all there is no such thing as the perfect 50/50 life-work balance. Some days you work more some days you play more. Debra Condren, Ph.D. says: “Imbalance is normal. Go for [self] acceptance.” It is when things become incredibly imbalanced that your work or personal life suffers.

I’m not here to tell you what the best way is to juggle commitments. Only you can decide that. I am here to tell you that no matter what – you will have to carve out some time to dedicate to yourself and your personal goals.

This will be one of the hardest things to do because you may want to make sure others are cared for first. Which is wonderful - when it’s not taken to extremes. By constantly sacrificing our needs we can inadvertently cause ourselves guilt, then anger (and possibly depression).

I have found that when you are pursuing your goals you feel more alive and satisfied with life.

10. Give Back

For your website or blog

The great thing about having a blog is having an opportunity to share your passion of knowledge with others. And by doing so, you create a community where others can come and share and comment on your blog as well. You in turn will connect with your readers which will raise the level of engagement.

Your website or blog can also become a wonderful vehicle to inform, engage, and build support for a favorite issue or cause. If done right, you can be seen as a leader in the community who champions a particular issue.

For your life

Offer to mentor and develop others.

Women in particular often lack opportunities for mentorship.

Host community groups at your place of business. Dedicate a day or more helping out in the community.

Greater DC Cares hosts the Servathon every year in DC. Individuals and groups can sign up for various community events during Servathon.

The ideas for you and your business to serve are endless.

I want to end the Laws by reminding you to start with a vision and end with giving back to the community at large. And remember: you as a woman entrepreneur are smart, powerful, and will succeed!

Laws for good site design (and life too)

From time-to-time I’m asked what goes into creating a great website or blog.

I say the same things it takes to create just about anything (and even a great life!) also make a great site. To prove my crazy theory, I’ve written down 10 laws for creating a great website or blog as well as a great life.

While there is no secret formula for having the perfect site or life (Heaven knows I tried) much of these laws are the result of trial and error as a web designer and as a person.

And like all laws, these are made to be broken.

1. Have a vision

For your website/blog

So you want to design a new site or create a blog. Ask yourself this – Why? This seems like the easiest question to answer but for many it is the hardest. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down with a client and their answer to that question is some vague mishmash of “Everyone else is on the web”, “We need a blog”, “We need to look more Web 2.0”, “I want more clients, money, (fill in the blank here___________)”.

While those are all good reasons to take a look at your existing web presence, it still doesn’t answer the question “Why”.

Behind the decision to create a new site, there should be an overarching vision. What purpose will your site and blog offer? If it doesn’t have a clear purpose, you are going to have some trouble with the structure of the site and end up with a final product that doesn’t truly reflect your business.

For your life

While may of us may not know exactly what we want to do until we hit our mid to late twenties (even later for us late bloomers!) it is critical to have some kind of vision of who you are and your purpose.

Author Stephen R. Covey calls this “Begin with the end in mind”.

According to Covey, it means to a start with a clear understanding of your destination. You may not have all the details worked out yet (see the second law below) but you have an idea about your personal goals.

2. Do your research

For your website or blog

Once you have figured out what the vision and purpose of your site will be it’s time to do some research.

• What’s your budget?
• Do you need a CMS?
• What’s the best blogging software for your purposes
• Are your going to design the site yourself or are you going to hire an agency, digital firm or freelancer to it?

These are some of the questions to begin asking yourself. Go online to see what your competitors are doing or not doing. Subscribe to feeds of sites/blogs that discuss the latest trends in social media and design like A List Apart or SocialMedia.biz.

Get a del.ici.ous or digg account. Look at the sites/blogs of businesses outside your field to see how others solved the same problems with site structure and design. The key here is to have as much information on hand before planning out your site on paper.

For your Life

I can’t stress this enough…research, research, research!

If you want to start a business – you have to do research. Now don’t get me wrong…I can be impulsive too. But living your life as one big dart board throwing “hope darts” with the hope that they come close to meeting your goals ain’t gonna cut it. Not to mention you will probably end up the furthest from your vision.

If you hire someone else to do your site – this step can save you a lot of money and aggravation.

3. Plan ahead

For your website or blog

Take time to create a sitemap and wireframe for your site; it’s time well invested. For blogs you can use a sitemap but I also really recommend having some kind of content outline so you can get ideas about what categories, sections, etc. there will be.

For your Life

If you don’t properly plan for the big things in life, you will find yourself making costly mistakes and losing valuable time you could have avoided with the right preparation. I would also recommend hiring a life coach to help you develop a strategy for your life.

4. Seek professional advice

For your website or blog

Designing a website from scratch is always a major undertaking.

• Should it be Flash or HTML/CSS?
• Do you need a database?
• What’s the difference between DRUPAL and JOOMLA
• Should you get a new logo?
• …or use Wordpress or NING?

Unless you are a professional web developer or designer you may not be aware of all the options out there. A developer/designer or social media strategist will work with you to help you properly plan out the best type of site or blog structure for your business as well as reflect your company’s vision, all while working within your budget.

I recommend Creative Hotlist as a great resource for finding a web designer or a design firm to help your develop your online identity.

For your life

Sometimes you don’t have the knowledge OR the time to do something yourself. From hiring a cleaning service to finding a tax attorney, it pays to hire a professional. Not only will it save you valuable time you can be using to dedicate to your business, it can also help you avoid critical mistakes such as failing to consult with an attorney when entering into a major business deal.

If you ever get the urge to take the cheap way out, remember the old saying “Pennywise, pound foolish!”.

Up next:
Learn laws 5 through 10 where I’ll discuss the importance of design and giving back to the community.

As 2009 barely rises over the horizon (like the iconic logo of a certain presidential candidate – now President) there is hope mixed with some trepidation of the tough road ahead. While the Inauguration gave us a blissful respite from our collective fears and worries of the crumbling economy, a few days later, after the party stopped, we were faced with more layoffs (as I write this Microsoft will be laying off 5000 employees), collapsing businesses and a battle on the Hill over billions of dollars in TARP/Stimulus.

As companies and organizations try to find ways to “tighten up their belts”, those of us who work in advertising/pr & marketing fields are finding our 2009 budgets slashed. So we ask ourselves how long will the economy decline? While there is no answer to that, the real question isn’t will things get better – of course they will – but how do we as an industry deal with this particular dilemma.

Follow me as we take a quick detour…

In a past life, I had a successful career in retail management. My claim to fame was two things: My ability to take troubled stores and make them profitable again and my ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Each store I walked into had the same story: made money when it first opened, high turnover, customer complaints, high shrinkage, etc. Despite the common problems, I recognized each store had its own set of unique issues. A unique environment, a unique staff and unique customers. So I began to restructure the business from the ground up based off those unique traits. Occasionally, I had to throw out the corporate handbook to respond to these unique situations (sometimes to the chagrin of my supervisors!).

The managers before me had come from successful stores and the thought was if they did a great job at the last place, turning this store around should be a piece of cake. It wasn’t. That was because they forgot the most basic rule in business…adapt or die.

In another past life, I worked for a small advertising firm that recently got into doing web design and online marketing. The Art Director knew a little about online design but he knew nothing about online marketing or digital processes. Another young woman and I tried – to no avail – to get him to try newer technologies, processes and marketing ideas. While a great guy personally, professionally he was inflexible. Eventually out of frustration she and I both left the company. After a fast but difficult year or so, the same firm hired someone whose sole job it was to focus on Digital design and strategy and the Art Director was promoted to oversee the non-digital creative services. They realized that if they were to compete with the other firms offering the same services, they too had to adapt or die.

So where were we again? Oh yeah…

So you wonder what does any of this have to do with how the recession will affect web 2.0 design and marketing.

Plenty. Companies and organizations will be looking to work with marketers who are nimble and can adapt to the current business climate. They also want agencies to understand the unique traits of their organization and business. To take those distinctive traits and build a successful, engaging campaign that will expand the organization’s brand.

Incorporating social media into an advertising/marketing campaign gives the company an opportunity to have a unique dialogue with their customers and members. Using word-of-mouth, the organization’s brand is discussed and shared within the online community. It creates a level of engagement not seen with TV, radio and print. In addition, since social media is free to low-cost (as compared to traditional marketing) firms can broaden their current level of offerings and add “value” on top of traditional marketing services. [1]

Here are some examples of social media and social media strategy:

Blogs

Micro-blogging (Twitter, Utterz)

Social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Friendster)

Social bookmarking/sharing (del.icio.us, Digg, stumbleupon)

“Viral” marketing (You Tube, Vimeo, widgets, rich media ads, Facebook/MySpace apps, mobile apps)

Using social media tools above, a comprehensive campaign strategy can be formed utilizing blogger outreach, social networks, social bookmarking, online buy strategy and viral marketing.

In Part 2, I will discuss how to create a successful campaign strategy and show some successful and not so successful examples of using social media marketing.

While the nation gets swept up in Inauguration fever, those of us living here in Washington, D.C. are in the “Locus of Hope”. The party started at the night of the election. As results poured in and Obama was declared the winner, people literally took to the streets in celebration and rejoicing. Culmination in an impromptu rally in front of the White House occupied by the current President Bush. A co-worker told me the next day how at the White House, she found herself hugging those around her. Strangers but - yet new found friends - all huddled together under the collective angst and release of seeing eight years of extremism and hubris, effectively voted away.

The following 77 Days dragged on as economic events here at home and political events abroad became worse. Despite that, DC continued to keep the party going. Like a 2+ month-long Mardi Gras, we keep the energy going until the final night of the big party – the Inauguration.

Across the web others are celebrating too: Both Twitter and WeeWorld.com are hosting virtual Inauguration parties. The man himself will broadcast the Inauguration online as well.

MySpace has teamed up with Hollywood for MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst to offer their support for the new President by plegding to help others. Katalyst is a new production company founded by Ashton Kutcher. You can see the video of various celebrities (directed by Demi Moore) offering there pledges below or go here: http://celebrity.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=celebrity.impact

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

This is a perfect end (or should I say beginning) to a man whose candidacy began and ended on the internet.

Next Up: Why Obama is really the 1^st 21^st Century President.

And Ignore the Doomsayers: Why the poor economy calls for MORE use of Web 2.0

What is “cause marketing” you ask? Cause marketing refers to any type of design, pr, marketing, or social media tool that is used to advertise, advocate or inform the viewer on a particular political or social cause or issue.

Now if you are wondering who am I to talk on such a subject? I am a digital designer based in Washington, DC. I work for a PR/marketing firm that is based in political consulting and social advocacy/marketing.

Cause marketing is an all consuming passion for me as well as my bread and butter.

Whew! That was a lot to get out. Now I’m not usually a prolific writer so on some days you will get a paragraph and other days a novel. But I promise not to bore you.

–Sibyl Edwards