Open Source Blogging

Look, I'm no @chrisbrogan when it comes to Twitter followers, but I have a nice following (@juntajoe). At this point, I still take the time to individually review who follows me. During this process, it pains me to see the many Twitter "beginner" mistakes that turn me off from following a person back.

So, you might be a Twitter Beginner if you make these mistakes (think of Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" when you read this).

1. If you don't fully complete your Twitter profile.

I probably see … Continue Reading

Get Content Get Customers is just hitting bookstores now (you can read the news release from McGraw-Hill here). When Newt and I first started putting the book together in late 2007, content marketing was a relatively unknown term. Now seemingly a household phrase (at least according to Twitter), brands are still struggling with exactly what it means to develop a content marketing strategy.

Ah, but social media is all the rage. Is … Continue Reading

Honestly, I was a little punchy a couple night ago when I sent out the email below regarding the upcoming Custom Media Day - presented by Junta42, American Business Media (ABM) and Custom Publishing Council (CPC).

I'll pass on the long sales pitch here…you can read the letter below.  Here's the deal - if you are a part of any process where you are creating custom content for clients or for yourself, you should attend this event on June 17th in … Continue Reading

Big thanks to my good friend Susan Friedmann, CSP for having me as a guest on her radio talk show, Riches in Niches, this week. As you'll hear, Susan is a real pro and we had a great time chatting about the subject of attracting and retaining customers with content marketing.

Susan's radio audience is mostly small business marketers, so we talked specifically about what small, smart companies can do to become trusted advisers for their customers (and turn prospects into buyers).

… Continue Reading

When possible, showing how your customers use your product is always the best option. It's also challenging.

Digital publishing provider Nxtbook Media found a way to do just that - with a little help from Zappos.

Showing that customers read digital magazines is not easy. You can't take a picture of them (yet). Sure, you have a lot of great statistics, but it's tough to bring those statistics to life.

Enter Nxtbook Map. Nxtbook Map shows in real-time around the world who's reading a … Continue Reading

I was on the road again this week (this time DC) for two presentations (Speakerbox and Online Marketing Summit) on content marketing and social media, one MENG webinar (from Reagan National airport) and what seemed like dozens of meetings. While on the plane trip home, I jotted down some things I learned about, discussed with others, or thought about along the way. Thought you would enjoy.

Analytics - The three most important areas to continuously monitor for content improvement are … Continue Reading

Sat in on a great panel yesterday with Amanda Watlington (Searching for Profit), Christina Howe (Avid) and Rebecca Lieb (eConsultancy) discussing what the world's leading brands are doing.

The discussion was all about content (loved it!).

One attendee asked this question to the panel. "Right now social media is hot, but what is the next big thing we should keep our eyes on?"

I was the first to answer, and this immediately came to mind, and it will happen (is happening).

Over the next few years (not sure exactly when), we won't be … Continue Reading

Interesting research from the Aberdeen Group on how web content management technology is transforming digital marketing.  This is a gated report, so you'll have to sign up to get it…but there is some quality information in here about the evolution of web content.

Portions of the report discuss the corporate goal of improving web content.  Getting content is usually not the problem for businesses.  Almost all organizations have truckloads of content.  The challenge is taking information inside and around a company and creating valuable, relevant compelling content from that information.

On that note, the top three … Continue Reading

Really cool eBook by Amplifier Content Marketing (full disclosure: Amplifier is a client of mine) called "Five Music Marketing Ideas that Could Pay Dividends Now".

Truthfully, the five ideas in this eBook could be applied to any industry, not just music.  Also includes some amazing examples and case studies.

Five Music Marketing Ideas That Could Pay Dividends Now
View more presentations from Glenn Sabin.

The five ideas to seriously consider now for your brand (according to the eBook) … Continue Reading

I had an interesting email conversation with Sak van den Boom at CustomerMedia.nl about digital magazines recently.

We can't seem to find a company doing more with the digital magazine format than KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and their digital magazine iFly.  If you haven't seen it before, it's one of the very few digital magazine examples that fully integrates flash and video into a customer experience, and tracks customer usage. It's worth checking out.

But is it working? … Continue Reading