The Superheroes of Marketing Podcast | Content Marketing | Lead Generation | Social Media Marketing

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Don't know what to blog about? The ideas are all there - sometimes you just need to know how to find them.

   Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Influencer marketing - what is it? How does it work? Is it only for big businesses with bigger budgets? Find out how any business can put influencer marketing to work for them today with superhero of marketing Susan Moeller of Buzz Sumo.

   Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. What is Nuclear Chowder, you might ask? Well, we did too - first thing. Turns out sometimes a business name can be a marketing lesson. Also, Kelly and Mike compare awards.

   Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Constant Contact uses Instagram to show the inner workings of the company - a glimpse of life there and the people behind the scenes who are busy making marketing better for their customers. They also share useful marketing tips for the DIY marketer. Follow them @constantcontact on Instagram, then cozy up for a great and informative conversation with Azure Collier. We promise even the smallest businesses can use these ideas!

    Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Combining a clear niche with powerful branding can open a whole new world to you. The great thing about is that it doesn't have to limit you. Jeff Sieh and his powerful beard have provided a fantastic case study for business owners who are looking to expand their reach by narrowing their focus.

    Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Co-founder of Wordpress social sharing plugin Social Warfare, Dustin Stout came by the podcast to talk about the plugin and the best practices for getting other people to share your content that are behind the programming and interface of this amazing tool. Even if you don't use Wordpress and can't get Social Warfare, you can use the principles to expand the reach of your content far beyond yourself.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Dino Dogan is the founder and CEO of the social sharing site for bloggers, Triberr. Triberr helps you get more shares. You want more shares, right? More clicks, more traffic, more leads. That's what content marketing is all about, and Dino is going to tell you how to get it.

  Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Fast-talking, faster-tweeting Brian Fanzo of iSocialFanz joined us to talk about the phenomenon that are Meerkat and Periscope - live streaming apps that make anyone with a smart phone a broadcaster. We asked him here to talk about the apps and to explore possible business and marketing uses for them.

  Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Crystal Glass is a Google Trusted Photographer. She specializes in taking photographs that are then used to create a 360 degree tour of your business. Every brick and mortar business can benefit from this affordable technology. Why? It's about trust and comfort! 

  Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Last week on the podcast, Ian Anderson Gray served up a selection of tools that businesses can use to make great marketing. Most of the options are budget friendly and together, you can do just about anything you need to to promote your business. But, having many tools for many functions does increase the amount of time you'll need to spend on your marketing. So, what about an all-in-one, like our choice - HubSpot? Which companies make a succcess of it? Who better to ask than Jill Fratianne, my HubSpot channel account manager and unofficial cheerleader?

  Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. At OverGo Studio and Scalable Social Media, we use HubSpot for just about everything marketing. However, not everyone is a good fit for an all-in-one marketing solution, even if only for budgetary reasons. So, is it possible to cover everything you need to be successful in marketing by putting together several tools? Sure is!  Ian Anderson Gray of Seriously Social is going to tell us just how it's done. We'll include links to all his favorite tools, so read on.

  Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. This week, Carol Lynn Rivera of Web Search Social snagged Kelly Kranz as her co-host, so I snagged her co-host and husband, Ralph for our show. Kelly and I usually do an interview format, but Ralph and I opted for a Web Search Social-style conversation. Since Ralph helped us so much with our podcast launch, and he and Carol Lynn just hit 100 episodes, it seemed a natural choice to talk about podcasting. Specifically - should everyone add podcasting to their marketing plan?

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Robyn Showers runs HubSpot's social media with one other person. With hundreds of thousands of followers, and many departments to coordinate with, how do they get it all done? We figured that, aside from coffee, she must have some time-saving social media tips she could share with all of us.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. You want to write for your readers of course. But, you want Google to find you, too. Does it have to be one or the other? We ask Mr. Search Engine himself - Neil Patel to give us the lowdown.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. "If you throw all your eggs in the basket of relationships, you are still gonna succeed." ~ Wade Harman On his journey smalltown coal miner to a Social Media Examiner top blogger, Wade has learned a thing or two about relationships. He's not afraid to talk about where he went wrong, the changes he's made, or even the secret to relationship marketing. You're going to love this one.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. By 2020, there will be roughly six internets worth of content online. Six hundred percent more blog posts, more websites, more cat photos. If you're having trouble getting traction with your online marketing now, how much harder will it be by then? Scary, isn't it? Almost makes you want to just pull the covers up over your head, doesn't it? Well, please don't despair. Brooke Ballard is here to save the day as this week's Superhero of Marketing. We'll cover how to stand out in today's crowded marketplace and how to position yourself and your content to rise to the top for years to come. Tune in now. Oh, and we think we've finally worked out the kinks so you can watch us and hear us and our guests live as we record. If you want to be notified when we schedule and broadcast via Meerkat, follow me on Twitter. I'm @alisammeredith. You'll notice my phone takes a dive at about 15 minutes in causing a minor disturbance. Technology keeps us on our toes!

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. For years, publishers of all sizes have been making money off print advertising and practically giving away banner ads and other online listings. Since many of these publishers have millions of pageviews a month, this seems a huge missed opportunity - for publishers AND advertisers. Luckily, some publishers are offering a new way to get better results for less. When we say "publishers" we think about magazine and newspaper publishers who now also have an online presence - often with huge established audiences. However, now that everyone is a publisher, this new kind of advertising may start to open up to more and more industries with a wide variety of budget options.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Does your website look the same as it did in 2005? Are the leads just not coming in? Are you in danger of losing Google traffic on April 21st because your site is not responsive? There is an awful lot to think about, but OverGo Studio's redesign specialist, Laura Hogan is here to save the day! Get ready for an inside look and some invaluable tips for making the most of your next redesign!

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Social Media Marketing World in San Diego is the world's largest social media conference. I had the pleasure to go last week and be surrounded by 2,500 real superheroes of marketing. So much brain power in one building! The sessions were amazing. High quality, big names, amazing content. The hardest thing was deciding which to attend. The best part was meeting so many fantastic people! I brought my recorder and found some interesting people to talk to. I only wish I'd done more!!! Listen in as I geek out on various social and marketing topics and Kelly gets to fulfill a life-long fantasy of being an anchor woman. You should have seen her recording - hand to ear, waiting for my "live reports" to complete before she moved on. In case you didn't already know it, she's kind of hilarious.

Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Our first guest with a really cool accent!!! Zach from Canva stopped in to talk about the importance of visuals in social media and blog posts. As soon as you add one image in to a blog post it tends to get twice as many shares on Facebook and Twitter. I'm guessing if we looked at Pinterest, the impact would be even larger. Canva finds that about 95% of the images that people pin are from inside the blog post rather than the image. They include some graphic design inspirational images and those are what get shared. So nicely illustrates that "inspiration" is what people want on Pinterest. We're still waiting for the arrival of our new (non-crackly) microphone, but believe me, when he says, "Twittah" you won't notice. :) Where to Start with Images Don't complicate things. Start simple and build up. Consider the importance of branding - use your logo consistently, using your color pallette, brand fonts and even things like the style or filter effect of images. This not only improves your images, but builds your visual brand. Use the Canva templates to get started. It's so much easier than starting from scratch, and it will help you learn what sorts of things make a good design. Where to Find Design Inspiration Well, Kelly and I find ours on Canva a lot of times :) The Canva design teams actually go out and look at other designs. For instance, when developing the new menu layouts, they went to restaurants and spoke to restaurant owners and looked at menus, collecting design element ideas they liked. So, when you're starting with a template, think about what you like, which elements attract you - and incorporate those into your own designs. Or, look though Designinspiration or  Canva's design stream and when a user-created image catches your eye - ask yourself why. Images for Social Media - What You Need to Know The different social networks have different specifications for images. Pinterest, of course, uses a taller image, the ideal Twitter size is much wider and shorter. Canva experiemented with using one image size for all networks and it just didn't go well. Check out the Social Warfare plugin for WordPress. You can have one image in your  blog post and specify other images of different dimensions for other platforms. Cool! What About Using Visuals with Inspirational Quotes? Some marketers love using inspirational quotes, and others feel that they're irrelevant, and maybe a little too "fluffy." Canva uses them to showcase design (by putting them on a pretty background and in an interesting font) and usually features a design-related quote. They get tremendous response. This pretty and effective approach, coupled with a brand-relevant strategy seems the ideal scenario! And remember - if you are sharing quotes, make sure they look good! The Facebook Page Challenge So, we all know that the reach of the average Facebook Page has plummeted. However, Canva finds that they get more traffic referrals from Facebook than from any other source? The secret? While they do still share some image updates, when they share a link and allow Facebook to pull in the image from the post, they get a lot more exposure. This means you still need to have a beautiful image in each blog post! Images in Emails Use them! Canva now offers an email header layout. Start there. Color Theory for Beginners Look at the color wheel - on the outside are the bright colors - great for a pop of color or for generating excitement. Move to the inside and you get your more muted colors. If you see an image with a color pallete you like, you can pick those colors right out using an online color picker. Keep track of your brand colors! Know your hex codes. Write them down and put them on your corkboard or on a sticky note on your monitor. Keeping these consistent will help build brand recognition faster. If you don't know your brand colors, you can ask your website or logo designer what your hex codes are, or use the above referenced color picker! Zach mentioned the example of Corona - they are pretty consistent in their colors and filters. Check out their Pinterest account: Taking Images from OK to Awesome Consider the key elements of what you're trying to convey - think about the choice of colors, find a color pallete. What sorts of fonts would go well together here (check the design stream or layouts).  Experiment with filters, too. If you find a filter that you like, think about using that filter on all your images. You can even create a custom filter and copy the code for it (you'll see what I mean if you click on the advanced link) and use it for every image. Trends in Images Modern and clean is where it's at today. Color palletes come and go. Color usage and image choices are partly seasonal. Which Social Networks Are Best for Visual Brands? Well, Facebook may bring in the most traffic, but the engagement on Instagram is exponentially higher. In fact, engagement rates are as much as 50 times (not percent, times) higher on Instagram when compared to Twitter. So, as always, it comes down to considering your audience, your brand, and your marketing goals. Kelly and I get a little "Fan Girl," but it really is a great tool and it will take your images from so-so, to POW! A "Super" Secret Announcement and a Free Offer!!! Canva is releasing a brand new product - Canva Pro!!! Keep track of your layouts, fonts, images and more (listen to hear the full details). From now through the end of April, you can get a free Canva Pro Trial account here. You'll get a response with your unique coupon code. Enjoy!!!

Email consistently returns the highest ROI of any marketing you can do. Still, people tend to think that it's old-fashioned, or that people just don't open email anymore. Or, they feel like the time commitment is too much and the technology too complicated. A few weeks back, I noticed my friend Dorien, who is a social media pro, had started an email newsletter. What really caught my attention was the way she freely admitted that this was something she should have done ages ago. Knowing the way she works, I also knew she would have done her research and it would be fresh in mind to share with you, our listener - saving you some time.  So, when she agreed to be our guest, I knew it would be good! If you have been putting off email marketing - or another proven marketing tool that you KNOW you should be using, have a listen - you'll be inspired. What's the Value of Email Marketing? Right click to download the mp3 to your desktop. Well, for Dorien, she had a past client contact her and two current clients contact her. It even generated more engagement on Facebook. What's the Hangup? Finding an Email Tool That Works When she first started, Dorien was a bit intimidated by her first choice in email provider. This time around, she looked at what friends and colleagues were using. She found the overwhelming favorite was MailChimp. She says it's nearly impossible to mess up. That sounds good. :) How to Integrate Email with Social Media and Your Website Dorien added a Facebook app for email signups. Consider changing your Facebook page cover photo that literally points to the app. Like this... In your emails, you can mention that you have a contest on Facebook, a new board on Pinterest, etc. Add a signup form to your website. Dorien used a sidebar signup form for four years.  She found about one person a month signed up. Now, she has a popup on every page of her website. It appears about 7 seconds in to your visit. If you click out of it, it won't appear for another week. She got five new opt-ins in the first week of using the popup. She used the plugin MailMunch along with MailChimp. She assures us that it's easy to set up, so why not try it! How to Get More Email Opens Create a great subject line and provide your readers something that they need. If they need XYZ and they need A, that's not going to work. Be consistent. Especially initially, send out your message at the same time every week. Timing matters. Think about your readers and then test the time you think will work. Dorien chose Thursday at lunch time because her audience is business owners - and often business owners have a habit of checking email around noon. It always pays to experiment, too! BONUS TIP: If you are using LinkedIn publisher, try publishing Thursday at noon. How to Get More Clicks Include a (Call to action) CTA! It sounds basic, but so often that is missing! Provide the same link several times in the same email so you aren't expecting people to go back to the link to find it. What Numbers Should You Look at to Measure Success? Look at open and click through rates. How to Avoid Looking Like a Spammer It needs to be personalized and provide value. Talk like a human talking to a human! Avoid the hard sell. Consider the age of your list, too. If you haven't emailed your list in a year, realize that some of them will forget who you are and you could be get more spam reports. Another reason to be consistent!! What About Email Segmentation? It sounds a lot more complicated than it needs to be! You could divide people up into different lists based on industry, business size, job title - but you can also segment based on how engaged they are, or what made them sign up. That way you can keep them engaged with the type and frequency of content they want. What About Personalization? Good or Creepy? People love to see their own names, even when we all know that it's really easy to add that. Use it. Don't cross the "creepy" line. For example, if you collect a lot of data from people, be respectful of people's comfort levels. Is it Time to Graduate? Dorien finally decided it was time to grow her business and she knew what she had to do. There are other projects she wants to do, but they just couldn't happen without email. Sound familiar? Dorien decided to just sit down and learn it that day - and she did! So, all that procrastination and she did it in a day!! So, what are your hangups? What's holding your business back? Can you just do it? Listener Question: If you could have a super power, what would it be? Kelly would like to be able to never sleep, but have all the benefits of sleep - to do more marketing. I would like to fly so I could travel without hassle. Wearing the cape, I feel like I'm almost there. :) Doreen would like to fly so she can visit her family in the Netherlands. Resources and Handy Links: Email signup popups MailChimp email tool About Dorien

Storyteller, published author and CEO of Kotaw Content Marketing. Lover of polka-dots, Dr. Seuss, and all things furry. I apologize in advance for the audio issues in the first minute or two. We are getting a new microphone - and what Katherine shares is more than worth a listen!! Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop Why Businesses Should Use Storytelling - Will it Impact Your Bottom Line? People's brains are chemically formed to think of businesses as people – and we are predisposed to think of them as unlikable. Storytelling makes you likable, someone we can relate to. There is almost nothing completely unique anymore. If nothing else distinguishes you, you can compete on price, or you can have a story. Katherine has seen the latter work beautifully and quickly!! Listen for the details. Storytelling and Engaging on Twitter – Exactly How to Do It You can make a connection on Twitter faster than pretty much anywhere else. Try using social media outreach to find people who will be interested in your content and your products or services. We got Katherine to spill all the details about how she found people to talk to and even what kinds of tweets she sent to start making friends for the brand and take sales from $0 to $10K just from Twitter in just 30 days. Why People Hesitate to Tell Their Stories “That's not very corporate!” Yeah, exactly. People don't love corporations – they love a business with a personality. Be memorable. Trust us – there is something about you that makes you special. 30Rock references were made. Oh, and if someone respects you less because you let your human side show (appropriately, of course), you probably don't want to work with them! Does Every Company Have a Story? I thought for sure she would say yes. Well, sometimes they don't – and that's because they have no passion – and those businesses won't last. There is so much duplication of everything, you MUST have a passion. Katherine reveals why she decided to work with a MLM client. Get to the core of your “why.” Katherine can help with that. Get excited about your story and learn how to tell it in your own voice. Why Dr. Seuss? Dr. Seuss is one of Katherine's loves. We wondered why. Her explanation will have you reaching for the tissues. AND it will help you see how something so small but so meaningful can be part of a truly compelling brand story. Where Should You Tell Your Story? Well, since 80% of buying decisions are made before any kind of person-to-person conversation, put it out there on your website first. If you can tell your story in person, that's great, but don't count on always having that opportunity. Learning to Be a Storyteller Katherine always comes home with a story? Can you try to find the story in your day? You don't have to be James Bond to have fantastic stories. It's how you approach things. Find something interesting. Storytelling and Pinterest Pinterest gives Katherine and Kotaw Content Marketing more traffic than anything else. She doesn't get a lot of repins, but people repin and click. She thinks the secret is the gorgeous images her daughter creates and the way they tease the viewer to click to get the rest of the story. They started using Pinterest as a showcase to brand the company visually. An online portfolio of sorts. You might want to follow her! Visit Katherine // KOTAW Content Marketing's profile on Pinterest. Counting Conversations – Not Tweets Sometimes business owners will say, “If I could only get people in the room, I could sell them.” Well, guess what? With social media, they ARE in the room. So, talk! No one cares what you are broadcasting if you don't care about people and you don't talk to them, share their content, or answer them. So, don't ask her how many tweets a day she's going to send out for you. If you're not in the mood to be social, go away. If you're just flying your flag – get off! When you see how quickly a conversation can turn into something meaningful, you'll be amazed at this new, glorious way to reach out to people. Katherine reminds us that you wouldn't be amazed if you saw her doing this in a room full of people. It's just a new medium! When you make a person feel special or look smarter, they will remember you. Listener Question: How Can I Tell My Story Without Boring People? If you can't tell your story in 30 seconds or less, you don't know your story. With that kind of limit, your mind picks out the good stuff.

Content marketing is all the rage - but how do you get started? What do you write about? How will it be found? We interviewed Al Biedrzycki, Channel Marketing Manager at HubSpot to find out. What he shared with us will help all business owners who want to generate more leads for their businesses. Oh, and we were dying to know which piece of HubSpot's content is the most popular and effective - and why. He spills it all! What is content marketing? Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop. Al sees it as the practice of developing useful, valuable, original content to educate your client as well as the way you promote it on a blog and with social media. What is the difference between inbound and content marketing? Add lead nurturing, lead generation, sales and marketing alignment. Content marketing is a COMPONENT of inbound marketing. What makes a good piece of content? Great content is useful and should be unique and creative - it makes people want to share it and do something more with it than just look at it. What is HubSpot's Most Popular Piece of Content? Why? Released in 2009, the Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing. It was very timely. People just started talking about internet marketing a lot.  It got a lot of organic traffic from search and has search clout. They used the word “Internet marketing” even though it was about “inbound” - no one would search for it because they didn't know what it was. It was their way to teach readers about inbound marketing. What is a “Top of the Funnel” Offer? When someone has a vague idea of a problem they need solved. They will search for more information, but they don't really know the information. Example: funny sound in my car - might search “strange car noises.” Middle of the Funnel When someone knows what is wrong, they have identified the problem. Then they start looking for the solution. Bottom of the Funnel When the problem is identified and the solution chosen, they just need to pick a supplier and buy! Creative and Effective Uses of Content Marketing ROI calculator for an accountant - enter in your financial information and it spits out your information. Preparing for tax season. Beyond Ebooks - Creative Formats for Content Marketing Videos can be useful, but it always depends on your product or service as well as your audience.Whitepapers and ebooks with .pdfs were the beginning of content. Now instead of a static .pdf there are some interactive website experiences. It's the evolution of the ebook. What Makes a Good Title? Don't be misleading? Nothing causes people to lose trust in you faster than a bait and switch. This goes for the more “spicy” titles, too. If you have a spicy title, you'd better have a spicy article!If you can add a little wit to the title, that's great, but it is more important to be clear about your topic AND your intended audience. What Tools and Programs Should You Use if You Aren't a Design Expert? PowerPoint and even Microsoft Word are pretty easy to use. Start with one of their templates. They can make a nice looking ebook! HubSpot has some, too! Buyer Personas Understand who you are trying to target. Map out your sales cycle and figure out where your content is going to fall. Download HubSpot's template to get started! JUST DO IT! Resources: Free Template: Create Buyer Personas For Your Business   Free Templates: How to Create Beautiful PowerPoints HubSpot's Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing About Al Connect with Al on LinkedIn Follow Al on Twitter Email Al: abiedrzycki@hubspot.com

The power of video is undeniable and Google Hangouts On Air are free, easy to use, and don't require a polished presentation or any special equipment. But, how can people get over their fears and become a go-to resource for helpful information? Jeff will help us with that! People tend to be afraid of video – even more than with audio, we seem uncomfortable watching ourselves. Jeff suggests you try it anyway! You may find you get used to it – or that the results are so amazing you can't stop even if you want to. Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop Hangouts On Air The Best Value For Your Marketing Time? You can turn your Hangouts on Air in to blog posts, short video, podcasts, and more. There is just nothing else that gives you such ability to repurpose. Some Practical Ideas for Your First Hangout Don't start huge. Have a hangout with a few friends who make you feel comfortable. Get used to the technical snafus and audio glitches that WILL happen. Get comfortable with all your options. Just hang out a bit! When you're ready, consider just answering a commonly-asked question by your customers and prospects. Nothing fancy needed. We even had ideas about funeral homes and pest control companies in the episode! Get Your Audience Involved As you get more comfortable with hangouts, you can add in features like comment tracker, which allows you to monitor comments and pull up people's questions and their images so all attendees can see. People LOVE that kind of engagement. It really makes them feel like part of the show and Jeff does it so well. Until you're ready for that, you could have a "wing-man" (or woman!) who can handle the monitoring of questions and feed them to you. Resources and People to follow: Ronnie Bincer the Hangout Helper Learn how to convert hangouts to podcasts Mia Voss – the Mia Connect Wade Harman – Relationship Show The Comment Tracker About Jeff Sieh Creative brain for hire • Visual storyteller • Social media consultant • Speaker • Humorist That sums it up well, but Jeff is also well known for "Adding testosterone one pin at a time" on Pinterest and with his Manly Pinterest Tips show (don't miss it - it's helpful and funny) and for his amazing "yeard". Connect with Jeff on Google Plus.Check out Manly Pinterest TipsLike Manly Pinterest Tips on Facebook

Anyone can make an engaging social presence for a fashion, pet or kid's brand, but what if your business doesn't lend itself to cute and fun content? Will anyone want to hear from you? Peg has made a success of social media for businesses that are a perfect fit for social AND those that seem like a stretch. We asked her here to teach us how – because we know lots of business owners feel like social media success isn't possible for someone in their “boring” business. PS – There is a little “swooshing” sound throughout, and for that we apologize, but trust me, you're going to love this episode anyway. It's Not All Kittens and Cupcakes! Sometimes Marketing is a Challenge No one ever said marketing is easy. If it's not working, don't spend your time complaining – get creative and make it work! And yeah, Peg can say this because she's done social media for a dry cleaning chemical company for years. Yikes. She shares her tips including posting consistently and sharing great content, not worrying too much about engagement because she knows it's working. How to Know What to Share Every once in a while she'll ask fans what they want to see. Recently she discovered that they want more of the inspirational quotes. Huh! Everything she posts, she asks, is this relevant to the audience? Will it help make their business better? And sometimes you do have to think way outside the box. After a while you will know what works and what your audience enjoys. And remember, social media is not about sales, it is about being helpful. Can you think of a series of “Did you know?” tips that you could share? People love to share those! Think about the life of your customer – think about what will help them in multiple areas of their lives. We asked Peg, “Is there any business that is too boring for social media?” Well, social media is where people meet customers now. If you don't have a physical presence, you NEED to be online especially. Everyone has gone mobile, too, so you need to be discoverable. It's not even a choice. Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop Why Do Business Owners Resist Social Media? People are still afraid of negative feedback. Well, people are already complaining. Wouldn't you like to be a part of the conversation? If you're not on top of it, your competitor will be! How Do you “Peg” a Post for Content Amplification? Share it in a way that looks good on all platforms. Create images that look great on each platform you use. Make sure your blog posts are shareable. Don't miss the opportunity to allow people to share your content easily. Peg recommends starting your sharing from Pinterest. Then you can share a “pin it for later” link on other platforms as well. Did you know that when you click on a “pin it for later” link from your phone, it opens right up in the Pinterest app! If you want a great step-by-step, check out her book, The Art of Social Media. Resources and People to Follow: Social Warfare! It is a great plugin to allow you to add your Pinterest image in a great big size that will look great on Pinterest, but it doesn't go in your blog post and slow it down. Stacy of Kid's World  Let's Lasso the moon Holly Homer Pinterest for business – video about the art of a good pin the art of a good board The Art of Social Media – you'll love it! About Peg Fitzpatrick Co-author of The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users • rockin' a positive attitude • passionate about social media Peg Fitzpatrick is an author, a speaker and, social media marketing pro. Covering all the major social media platforms, she frequently hears “you're everywhere!” She's passionate about life, social media, and inspiring others to be their best. Follow Peg on TwitterConnect on FacebookCircle on Google+Connect on LinkedInFollow on Pinterest  

Pinterest has changed a lot recently - the largest change has been to Smartfeed. It dramatically impacts marketers and users, alike. We're so thrilled to speak with Vincent Ng of MCNG Marketing - he's great at keeping up with the latest Pinterest news, especially where it comes to keeping up on search changes which is why we are so happy to have him! What is SmartFeed? How Has Pinterest Changed? Pinterest's Smartfeed is somewhat like the Facebook news feed. Pinterest watches what you pin, repin, and like and shows you more of that type of content. And yes, that has meant on occasion that pinning a funny pin means all you'll see are goofy memes for a while. The hiccups appear to be clearing, however! This also means that you no longer see all pins from all the people you follow in chronological order, and of course that people may not see your pins immediately. This also means that the more activity on your pins (repins and likes), the more likely it is to continue to show up for more and more people. Sounds just like Facebook, doesn't it? Vincent has noticed a lot of fresh content appearing at the top of the Pinterest smart feed, while I've noticed a lot of older content again and again, especially with infographics! If your content is getting pinned a lot, consider creating multiple images to freshen things up. Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop What Does a Perfectly Searchable Pin Look Like? Create a gorgeous photo that people want to reshare. Use a vertical photo. Use keywords! Don't just put in “shoes” – give more detail. People search for “blue wedding shoes,” not shoes! Encourage click-throughs with your quality design and your descriptions. Wait, pins are being found on Google? Yup! Accounts, boards, and pins are showing up in search engine results. Concentrate on good long-tail keywords and use those in your descriptions. The Men Are Arriving on Pinterest! There are more male Pinterest users than subscribers of GQ and Sports Illustrated combined. To think that men aren't using it is “Absurd!” Agreed, Vincent. Pinterest is really working hard to get men to Pinterest, so it watches your pin activity and tries to adapt your search results based on whether it thinks you are male or female. You can also select gender when you sign up, which will certainly impact your results. How Are Men Using Pinterest? Think of how they shop. They're not usually out to bargain-hunt or to browse, but they go when they have a purpose rather than casual scanning. Think of it as a nicer way to keep bookmarks of items or information for future reference. Is it More Difficult to Succeed on Pinterest Now Than a Few Years Ago? Sure. People who have been on Pinterest a while, have more repins and likes, so their content tends to rise to the top with smart feed. Even if you're just starting out, though – it's such a great traffic driver. How Much Time Will I Have to Spend on Pinterest Marketing? Vincent recommends starting slow, maybe pinning once week or so. I counter that if you want it to work and get the encouragement to continue. Use a scheduler, and don't worry about having to deal with lots of comments. Just pin great stuff. What Happened to Affiliate Links? Power bloggers who were making big money have seen their income dry up as Pinterest is removing affiliate links. While this may not impact the average user, it does provide a good reminder that none of us should be building our house on someone else's land. What About the Pinterest Buy It Button? Pinterest is already a big driver of sales. It's looking to become a serious ecommerce player. So, if you sell items online, stay tuned!!! About Vincent Ng Vincent Ng is the founder of MCNG Marketing, and the author of Pinterest to Profits with Pintalysis and the host of the Pinterest podcast, Pictures to Profits. He'll be speaking about Pinterest at the upcoming Social Media Marketing World Conference in San Diego. Follow Vincent on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Follow on Pinterest  

Ralph and Carol Lynn, owners of Web Search Social, have taken the podcast world by storm. They have somehow managed to generate a base of raving fans who amplify their message – for free. Who wouldn't want to have people promote their business for free? Ralph and Carol Lynn call these promoters “Fred” – and you can hear how that came about on the show. What's a Fred - and Why Would You Want Some? Freds are people who are interested in the material shared on the podcast and blog – they could be fellow marketers, customers, potential customers. You have those people! A SuperFred is a superfan. They actually bring things to Ralph and Carol Lynn to talk about on the show. No need to worry about running out of ideas!! If you are trying to utilize content marketing for your business, you know how important this is. And you can have this Army of Freds, too! Freds give them the ammunition to continue the conversation. Even if they aren't your ideal customer, you can get the “I know a guy….” Impact. People get to know you as an expert, and when someone they know needs your help, Fred will tell them about you by name and with a great endorsement. Oh, and then there are the gifts. Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop What About Niche? Creating a niche is so important for generating qualified leads. If you focus your content towards potential customers, you might find (as did Ralph and Carol Lynn) that your traffic drops. BUT, your leads will increase, and your qualified leads will grow tremendously. How to Get Your Own Freds Who Promote You Be relatable Freds love themselves. If they can see themselves in you, that you have similar challenges and are still learning as you go, they will relate to you and that common ground is incredibly powerful. Share your successes and your failures. Relating to each other is a bond that people respond to really well. In fact, sharing a rather spectacular failure on air and in detail generated tremendous support and comradery. They all got to learn from the failure and how to recover from it! Far from diminishing their reputation, this willingness to share lead to a potential new customer. Bring people in to the conversation When you facilitate a back and forth conversation, you're helping people feel involved, even invested in your content and your success. When they spark and idea of give you a great quote, make a big deal about it – mention it on air, or make a fun image of it and share it on social. Let them know they matter.   Ralph and Carol Lynn just finished “Fredruary” a month of featuring some Super Freds on their podcast. Check out some of their Monday February shows. Can You Create Brand Advocates Without a Podcast? Sure! It depends on your audience, your business, your goals. There are other conversations you need to have before you can choose the platform that will work for you. It could be podcasting, but it could be something else! This is where a good marketing agency is worth its weight in gold. Get a strategy in place and then bring your Freds in. How One Small Local Business Owner Created Brand Advocates Green Sun Energy's Glen Koedding created SuperFreds by allowing his customers to be part of the conversation. He is very personable, a great communicator, and is dedicated to exceptional customer service. At the end of the job, he gets a picture and shares it on Facebook, generating Freds who then say, “I know a guy!” The rules of good business have not changed. The means of communication has changed, that's all! Be good to your clients, your prospects, and everyone else and that will speak for itself. Triberr and Scoutle Announcement Triberr, a content amplification program, acquired content virality prediction company Scoutle. It's all very hush-hush and we will probably get in big trouble for sharing this, but we like to live on the edge. About Ralph and Carol Lynn Carol Lynn is a writer, community manager and your go-to person for planning, strategy and ultimately getting your marketing done. As co-owner of both Web.Search.Social and  Rahvalor Interactive, she builds WordPress sites, manages social communities, writes for email campaigns, blogs or websites, puts together marketing plans and manages the rest of her creative team of writers, designers and developers. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Web.Search.Social. She has been in the digital marketing business since 1999 and has professionally studied project management as well as search and social marketing. Carol Lynn loves reading, writing, sunflowers, cupcakes and being able to work with her husband and business partner, Ralph. Connect on LinkedIn Connect on Facebook Connect on Twitter Connect on Google+ Ralph is a programmer and web developer who is the co-owner and technical genius behind both Web.Search.Social and Rahvalor Interactive, where he's in charge of keeping his team of programmers, coders and developers on track building custom websites and applications. If you need to make things happen on the web in a way that ties into your big-picture marketing goals, Ralph is the one to do it. He's been in the business of creative digital services since the late 1980s. He is also an educator, offering his experience and expertise to businesses as they strive to make sense of the world of online marketing, and he teaches web development to inquisitive young minds at Manhattan College in New York City. Ralph loves whiskey, playing guitar, Halo and relaxing weekend afternoons reading great science fiction by the fireplace. Connect on LinkedIn Connect on Facebook Connect on Twitter Connect on Google+

We are sworn to protect the excellence of your marketing, but what does that mean? What can you expect from our podcast?   Just a few months ago, Kelly and I decided we should produce a podcast together. We share a love of marketing and enjoy working together on OverGo Studio clients, so it sounded like fun. And it has been! From choosing our theme to buying costumes (!!!!) and having a great photoshoot on the beach, it has been a blast. It's also been a lot more work than we anticipated. We are so grateful for the help of Rick at OverGo Studio, Jeff Sieh of Manly Pinterest Tips, Vincent Ng of MCNG Marketing, and especially for Carol Lynn and Ralph (Chief Executive Superheroes of Marketing Baby Daddy) Rivera of Web Search Social. Right click here to download the mp3 file to your desktop It is our goal to create a podcast that always sounds great in audio quality and composition. We want the small business owner to listen and have at least one "Aha!" moment per show. We vow never to be boring and never to forget who the real superheroes are.