The Social Revolution is here to stay. All marketers must learn to accept the challenges by customer driven participation by proactively focusing on the relationships. The tools are available to engage the customer’s voice. Beyond the story boards, focus groups, and internal discussions are the critics and influencers that for the most part, beyond the rants, do offer valid constructive criticism.

The challenge is how to leverage the relationships without being perceived as a taker. The best way to circumvent that perception is to be open and honest, ready to respond, and truly understand what people are saying about your brand. If we listen carefully, there are blind spots that could and need to be addressed.

Want to learn more?

* source: unknown

One of his Seven Habits was to avoid the top spot in a Search Engine Marketing campaign.

The number-one position usually leads to a poor return on investment, and that can often be true of the second and third positions as well. The traffic coming from the top positions are not buyers; they are just researchers. Serious buyers will go to the third, fourth and fifth positions. When consumers are ready to buy, they will come back.

Bidding on a keyword at $10.00 for the top spot when the third or fourth spot can be obtained for much less is highly likely. Besides being a good steward of resources, if the keyword converts into a profitable lead, then the cost-per-conversion yield is obviously much better. In a sense, there is a relief to not engage in a keyword bidding war to always be number one.

Read the rest of the Pay-Per Chase article at BizTechMagazine. There’s a good discussion about maximizing a pay-per-click strategy and the rest of John’s Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Pay-Per-Click Advertisers.
–
John W. Ellis is a senior online marketing manager for ResortQuest International. Ellis blogs about search engine advertising at www.johnwellis.com

Dave Zuis uses “Physical Fitness” as a metaphor in his article at SearchEngineJournal - SEO & Physical Fitness Metaphors

I found Everett’s comment to be absolutely spot on:

I am a firm believer that companies who are SERIOUS (I’m talking over 100 k per year serious) about their search engine optimization efforts need to either get an in-house SEO, an embedded consultant or both. Having some guy on the other side of the country with dozens of other clients send you a report that says “Do this, this and this…” without actually DOING any of the “doing” is like joining one of those online personal trainer websites where you pay someone to send you an exercise routine via email.

Not that there is anything wrong with Charles Atlas…

What is a manifesto?

Traditionally defined as: A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature….

At Change This they define the word manifesto as one of many PDF files on their site that’s an argument, a reasoned, rational call to action, supported by logic and facts.

So who is Change This?

Amit Gupta, Catherine Hickey, Noah Weiss, Phoebe Espiritu, and Michelle Sriwongtong built ChangeThis in the summer of 2004. The original idea behind ChangeThis came from Seth Godin.

In the summer of 2005, ChangeThis was turned over to 800-CEO-READ. In addition to selling business books, they keep ChangeThis up and running with their love and tender care. To learn more about 800-CEO-READ, read their daily blog.

“ChangeThis is creating a new kind of media. A form of media that uses existing tools (like PDFs, blogs, and the web) to challenge the way ideas are created and spread. We’re on a mission to spread important ideas and change minds.”

More than a blog, Change This is a wellspring of wisdom, carefully crafted ideas, beautifully presented in a well-designed PDF format. I’ll guarantee you will download and print every PDF in their vast inventory.

I remember using The Long Tail manifesto as a baseline to change some faulty thinking with a group of peers. The precepts for some were quickly dismissed, while others embraced the thinking contained within. They went onward to great success culturally and financially in their company. Thus the power of a manifesto.

So who writes these manifestos? Some of my favorites of the hundred plus manifestos available include:

GUY KAWASAKI, former Apple Fellow and entrepreneur extraordinaire, on up-starting a start-up
Art Of The Start

Have you ever received AN EMAIL IN ALL CAPS? End the madness here, with ELLY MARKSON’s brief but powerful guide to email etiquette.
How To Be A Boor

Interested in starting a weblog for your company? Before you begin - or even if you’ve already begun - read “The Corporate Weblog Manifesto” by Microsoft evangelist ROBERT SCOBLE.
Corporate Weblog

Want to make more out of life? Do Less. SETH GODIN, entrepreneur and author of several best-selling business books, including Purple Cow, on how to maximize quality and time.
Do Less

Speaking “teen” is not easy. It means knowing the difference between Beyonce, Britney, Ashlee, and Jessica. JOSH SHIPP will help you become fluent in “teen”. He’ll teach you to entertain, inspire and empower.
Teens Language

Interested in learning advanced business concepts, but don’t have the time or money for a traditional MBA program? Business schools don’t have a monopoly on worldly wisdom - if you care more about increasing your effectiveness at work than a diploma and a few lines on your resume, the “Personal MBA” is for you.
Personal MBA

Back to the previously mentioned classic, The Long Tail:

Editor-in-Chief of Wired, CHRIS ANDERSON says that the future belongs to those that serve the millions of untapped niche markets as well as they serve the masses. Read his manifesto to find out how unlimited shelf space and personalization can revolutionize your business.
Long Tail

By the way, do you have something to say? If you have an idea for a manifesto you’d like to write or publish through ChangeThis, submit a proposal. If it’s approved, your proposal will appear on the site and visitors to the site will be able to vote on it.

Read. Listen. Discuss. You just might learn something from some great mentors, if you dare.

I’m sure that many of you have already seen this video courtesy of the Onion, but there is always the possibility for a Web Crash.

Sidenote: It pays to backup your data.

Sending shock ways though the hallways of AT&T, many iPhone users are shaking their heads “YES!” while the mobile carrier’s legal team is shouting “NOOO!” It will be interesting to see what Apple’s response will be toward blocking the hack.

Don’t be surprised to see Apple offering an unlocked version of the iPhone for *gasp* $799.00 or more.

If you want to be less adventuresome with hacking your iPhone (and possibly voiding the warranty), Wired offers up Nine Hacks That Will Make You the Master of Your IPhone

I’m actually more fascinated with baking a clay version of the iPhone:

View vaughn235 Flickr set of the clay iPhone.

Here is a five-minute highlight reel produced by StudioNow. While five minutes doesn’t even cover what transpired over twelve hours, ask anyone who attended. Most likely, one will hear the passion from the various takeaways from the event. Whether you’re a Mac or PC guy, into Search Engine Marketing, great web design, programming, blogging or some form of interactive media, the consensus is that BarCamp Nashville was the stick that stirred the pool of talent in Nashville’s technology and media community.

Link

I can be very forgiving over a less than stellar restaurant meal, if the server was apologetic and reasonably accomodating. Would I go back to the same restaurant? - most likely yes. I invite you to add your own.

–

Seth’s list of what people want:

The same thing everyone else is having, but different.

A menu where the prices aren’t all the same.

More attention than the person sitting next to them.

A slightly lower price than anyone else.

A new model, just moments before anyone else, but only if everyone else is really going to like it.

A seat at a sold out movie.

Access to the best customer service person in the shop, preferably the owner.

Being treated better, but not too much better.

Being noticed, but not too noticed.

Being right.

VivaLaBlog!

According to their site, BlogWorld is “the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media. In addition to the only industry-wide exhibition, BlogWorld will feature the largest blogging conference in the world including more than 50 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online technology and internet-savvy business.”

Blogging Statistics from the Blog World site:

FIRST BLOGWORLD & NEW MEDIA EXPO TO BE WORLD’S LARGEST GATHERING OF BLOGGERS
Registration Now Open at www.blogworldexpo.com

LAS VEGAS - August 20, 2007 - Thousands of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters are set to descend on Las Vegas for BlogWorld & New Media Expo, the world’s first, industry-wide blogging tradeshow. The inaugural event, to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday - Friday, Nov. 8 - 9, 2007, with pre-show seminars Wednesday, Nov. 7, will bring together professional to citizen journalists, entertainment icons, industry pundits, and popular social communities, as well as internet radio and TV producers and podcasters in the most important assembly of future new media moguls. Registration is now open.

Designed to help experienced content creators and newbie’s alike, BlogWorld & New Media Expo will feature more than 60 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes.

The Expo promises sessions on blogging basics, podcasting, video blogging, monetization strategies, increasing readership and blog site “stickiness,” use of RSS (really simple syndication), search engine optimization, blogging in the political arena, and other topics of interest to veteran and first-time bloggers.

The conference will host several major blogging communities, including business, technology, politics, sports, lifestyle and pop-culture, milbloggers, mommy bloggers and godbloggers.

Exhibitors will include blog publishing software, advertising networks, affiliate program providers, RSS syndication services, news readers, aggregators, computer hardware and software companies, Wi-Fi services, broadband ISPs, web hosting companies, podcasting services, pro audio and video recording equipment and blog consultants.

Research shows that more than 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog, while more than 57 million read blogs. Companies and individuals will be able to harness the latest developments in the blogosphere, all in one place-at BlogWorld.

“We’re witnessing a communication revolution. New media is rapidly changing the way people get their news and the way companies communicate with their customers,”

Rick Calvert, Founder and CEO, BlogWorld Expo, said. “This event is designed to give professional and aspiring bloggers the tools and education they need to take their brands to the next level and to bring the traditional communication world up to speed with the blogosphere.”

Additional information on BlogWorld, speaker topics, session descriptions and registration are all available at www.blogworldexpo.com.

The temptation is to apply quick fix shortcuts. Understanding the foundational basics of SEM and SEM best practices coupled with a long term strategy will prevent unmet expectations.

Who doesn’t want to be Number 1 on Google?

There are volumes of information, advice, and instant fix promises for SEM and SEO available on the internet. Choosing the right information to digest is akin to drinking out of a Google Adwords fire hose.

I’ll settle for a daily intake of a cool drink from the Google mini fridge instead.

Eric Lander offers up “10 Tips to Tune Up Paid Search Efforts” that are helpful from the full catalog of 848,000 tips available.

Tip #1 — Update Your Keywords
In every market, current events will shift how people are searching for information and products. Tap the resources available to you in order to update your keyword lists regularly. WordTracker, KeywordDiscovery, and the tools provided by Google and Yahoo! are all great starting points.

Tip #2 — Revise Ad Copy
If your ad copy is stale or less relevant, you may suffer from a low clickthrough rate, and slipping out of position — which allows your competitors to have a stronger opportunity. The beauty of this is that you can always have ads rotating, and if your new efforts do not pan out, Google will automatically stick to what was working.

Read the rest of Eric’s Tips

Most times working with a overall SEM campaign, patience is key along with repetitive practice. Turning water into wine (sales or conversions) will quench any thirst in a hurry. That’s when SEO + SEM = FUN.

photo credit