Thinks I find along the way
…as much as I am an internet mechanic who helps thinkers become thought leaders! Here’s what I mean…
Yes, I do WordPress websites buy my emphasis is not on high maintenance sites that look pretty and deliver no traffic. I’d rather you think of me as an internet mechanic that can keep your content marketing engine running smoothly. Comment, call or ‘connect’ so we can talk about how this applies to you and your organization…
…or how to be a thought leader in your industry without breaking the bank! Prepare yourself — I’ve been thinking about this one all weekend…
I had a chance to have lunch last week with Dana VanDen Heuvel, an internationally known ‘thought leadership‘ marketing expert who happens to live in nearby Green Bay. Dana and I travel in similar circles although his focus is more on strategy while mine is more on the mechanics of thought leadership marketing. Back in November I was trying to get my mind around content marketing and thought leadership and I asked Dana whether or not the two were synonymous. Either he didn’t have time to answer my question or you wanted me to figure it out on my own; in either case eventually I concluded that content marketing is a means toward thought leadership but the two are not the same. You can use content marketing to create share of voice on the internet but it’s the quality of your ideas that determine whether or not you ultimately become a leader by getting share of mind and share of market.
To me, thought leadership is the process of becoming and being known as the expert. In my oversimplified view of things that requires two activities; you have to deepen your expertise and detail your expertise or, get smarter and show people you’re getting smarter. IF you do that well they may actually follow your ideas…
Are you a wannabe thought leader? You can test the waters in this area for $17 per year using WordPress.com as your thought leadership marketing hub. The $17 will buy you a domain and the ability to map that domain to your free WordPress site. Then, all you gotta do is publish something…
Deepening your expertise
In in order to deepen your expertise I think there are three things you need to do
Detailing your expertise
In order to demonstrate to people that you are an expert
David Kanigan of davidkanigan.com is an example of someone who had done exactly what I recommended on his WordPress.com blog…
New to blogging — only 6 months in — and he is already rocking his site! His Alexa rank is currently 61,500 in the US — testimony to both the power of WordPress.com and his frequent posting [too bad that due to his work in the financial industry he can’t engage in business blogging]…
You could be a David, too, and take on the Goliath’s in your industry using the tools and tactics I mentioned above. Here are links to every tool and a few more…
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imho, here are the best tools for content management and marketing for thought leadership. All free, all cross platform…
imho, here are the best tools for content management and marketing for thought leadership. All free, all cross platform…
http://storify.com/e1evation/content-management-and-marketing-for-thought-leade.js”>%5B<a href="
imho, here are the best tools for content management and marketing for thought leadership. All free, all cross platform…
imho, here are the best tools for content management and marketing for thought leadership. All free, all cross platform…
http://storify.com/e1evation/content-management-and-marketing-for-thought-leade” target=”_blank”>View the story “Content management and marketing for thought leadership tools” on Storify]
Here is the way in which I use them…
Now, either you look at this and say “Ah, that makes perfect sense — why didn’t I think of that before?” for you look at this and say “What a fustercluck!?!?!?” In either case, I may be a resource for you. Either I can help you simplify your existing thought leadership marketing workflow or I can set it all up for you and teach you how to run it. It’s your call, but if you’re looking to establish a thought leadership position you have just run out of excuses…
I had an interesting opportunity to sit on a panel of ‘experts’ yesterday and advise website development students on how they should develop a portfolio of their work and present it to prospective hiring authorities or clients. To be honest, I don’t know how I got on the panel; the others were truly experts — I’m just a lowly WordPress developer who creates websites out of necessity because of their role in ‘thought leadership’ marketing…
As I thought about it in hindsight there’s an important piece of advice that I left out but it’s a good one for all of us. When it comes to displaying a ‘portfolio’ [btw, to me a blog is a kind of a portfolio of thoughts so bear with me] of your life’s work I think there are only two activities that matter:
I think all of ‘thought leadership’ marketing can be summed up in this statement: become and be known as the expert.
In order to do this you need a system that will help you effectively manage the content you need to master in order to become an actual expert. I wrote just last week about the tools I use to accomplish this. They are:
As it applies to this particular topic, the two most important tools in this process are Google Reader and Gist. Google Reader allows me to create a virtual newspaper of the sites and searches that I need to track in order to stay on top of my craft — my areas of ‘subject matter expertise’. Gist is like Google Reader but for people and companies. In an easy to use dashboard I can see everything that someone has produced on the internet for the past 24 hours so I never miss a thing that someone who is important to me has said. The two go together like peanut butter and chocolate to help me become more of an expert…
Getting smarter is only half the battle — letting the world know you have gotten smarter is the other part. Blogging and social media are perfect for this! As Chris Brogan said in Trust Agents “As you now know, if you have no Google results, in a sense you don’t exist.” Active blogging on your area of expertise is a great way to let the world know you are an expert. Does it work? Well, are you reading this? Sharing your ideas in a public forum like the internet gets you a share of the voice which may get you share of mind if your ideas are good enough and may eventually lead to share of market. My tools of choice for getting found are:
The order here is intentional and they tools are stack ranked in order of priority. Master one and move on to the next.I’ve written often about homebases and outposts — blogging should be the first priority because it is OWNED media — everything else should be evaluated based on the audience you’re trying to reach. Here in Northeast Wisconsin, LinkedIn rules — things might be different in your world…
http://storify.com/e1evation/this-week-in-blogging-at-e1evation
An editorial focus and calendar that reinforces it may be the single most important thing you can do if you want to blog for thought leadership. In his ground breaking book ‘Brand Stand’, Craig Badings writes…
The more research you do on the topic [on which you choose to focus] the more you will understand the space you want to enter. Ask yourself: Who is already playing in that space? What they are saying? Are they achieving cut through? Does our company have substantially more to say or something unique to offer in that space or not? Your deciding question should be ‘Can we own that space?’ If you cannot own a space my advice would be do not go there.
Badings, Craig (2009-07-08). BRAND STAND (Kindle Locations 790-794). BookPal. Kindle Edition.
If you have decided you can ‘own the space’, here is an overly simplified formula for achieving alignment in your content marketing strategy and getting ownership:
If you do those things in that order, you will have alignment around solving your customer problems and you will be found when people are looking for your solution[s]. In order to effectively cover my space, for example, which is content management and marketing for thought leadership, I track the topics content management, content marketing and ‘thought leadership’ marketing as well as the following tools:
Thursday, for example, is Twitter day. Every Thursday I reflect on Twitter as part of a balanced content management and marketing for thought leadership strategy and ‘storify’ a summary of the best articles from the previous week. This tactical approach ‘forces’ me to not only review the best content from the previous week in Google Reader and Twitter, but be sure to cover it in my blog.
Questions? Feedback? Comment below or use the connect form. In the meantime, here’s a summary of the best of what I found in content marketing, LinkedIn and Twitter this past week…
http://storify.com/e1evation/content-marketing-linkedin-and-twitter-for-2-17-20
Happy Monday! Time to talk about trends in blogging and content marketing. First, though, a confession. I accidentally used decaf instead of regular and I’ve been dragging my butt around all day. This blog is fueled by coffee and now that I’ve had a good cup, life can start [at 3:27PM]!
Here’s my bias; blogging is a fundamental component of a successful content marketing campaign. I haven’t bought into the ‘siteless web’ model yet — I believe that a blog is the foundation of a successful online presence and I use a ‘homebase and outpost’ or ‘hub and spoke’ model for content marketing that I first heard articulated by Chris Brogan and Darren Rowse a few years ago.
There are three reasons that strike me as being important at the moment:
These all sound like great reasons to me! If you need someone who is smart and beautiful, however, to tell you the same thing in more detail I highly recommend content marketing genius Heidi Cohen. Heidi had an epic post last week called Blogging Is Dead – Long Live The Blog!. In it she said…
“Call me a contrarian but blogs should be a core aspect of any organization’s marketing strategy regardless of whether you’re a B2C, B2B, not-for-profit or a solopreneur.” Source: Blogging Is Dead – Long Live The Blog! [Research] | Heidi Cohen
I soooo recommend you go to the source and read her article in toto. People usually turn to me after reading an article like this and saying to themselves “Makes perfect sense. Where do I get started?” You see, I’m not a content marketing expert like Heidi — I just tell people how to implement what she advocates. I can help you create a successful blog that is the focal point of your content marketing campaign…
Here are some great articles I read this past week about blogging and content marketin trends:
http://storify.com/e1evation/blogging-and-content-management-trends-for-this-we
LinkedIn may not be as sexy as Facebook, Google+ or Twitter right now, but social media trends indicate that it is rebounding and becoming a powerful player in its own right. Again…
Here in Northeast Wisconsin where I live, LinkedIn is actually stronger than any of the aforementioned social media networking tools. Is that the case where you live and work? It’s worth asking the question! Beyond regional anomalies however, LinkedIn is becoming a dominant force in job search and recruitment at a time in our nation’s economy where both are absolutely critical! If you’re a job seeker or are looking for job seekers, social media trends indicate that you should be giving LinkedIn a harder look…
LinkedIn has emerged as increasingly disruptive presence, particularly when compared to other job placement services, a trend which may point toward strong fourth-quarter results. Evercore Partners analyst Ken Sena wrote, “Strong checks on the quarter, which include data by Wanted Technologies, indications of share gains from Monster, and recent Indications from both Dice and CareerBuilder of continued robust growth in most sectors give us reason to believe that our $160 million net revenue estimation (up 95% y/y) [for LinkedIn] is doable.” Sena rates shares equal-weight with a $70 price target. That does not mean, however, that LinkedIn will remain the dominant player in online job recruiting. Sena notes that, although Facebook and Google do not currently have offerings in the professional job recruiting space, they may make inroads, “undermining the attractiveness of LinkedIn’s professional social graph to investors.” Source: LinkedIn: The “Other Social Network” (Update 1) – TheStreet
If you’ve overlooked LinkedIn, you might want to look it over again! Here’s my weekly LinkedIn roundup…
http://storify.com/e1evation/linkedin-trends-for-2-9-2012
I’ve hit the Twitter wall! Apparently my ‘twitter ho‘ [warning! link NSFW] strategy of follow everyone is tragically flawed…
According to Twitter…
“We do not limit the number of people who can follow you, but we have put limits on how many other accounts you can follow. Every account can follow 2,000 users total. Once you’ve followed 2,000 users, there are limits to the number of additional users you can follow. This number is different for each account and is based on your ratio of followers to following; this ratio is not published. Follow limits cannot be lifted by Twitter and everyone is subject to follow limits, even high profile and API accounts.” Source: Twitter Help Center | I Can’t Follow People – Follow Limits
I have been using a cool new app called SocialBro [I don’t make these names up — I just report them] to aggressively follow more people. Even I didn’t realize there was a limit. Until now. I’ll have to consult with the great Twitter oracles in my network @tommytrc and @mmangen to see where I went wrong. This social media stuff can be tricky — even for an instructor that supposed to know it all [remember, all is a lot to know!]. I’ll report back on what I learn next Thursday — twitterday @ e1evation!
In the meantime, if you’re interested in Twitter trends, you might like this screencast I did a few weeks back on how I’m using Getting Things Done [GTD] principles for content marketing. Twitter has become an even more critical part of my social media strategy because of the way I use it now…
Here’s the roundup of the best Twitter articles I read in the past week…
http://storify.com/e1evation/twitter-roundup-for-2-9-2012
Google. Sigh…
By now, most people have heard that the Google motto is ‘don’t be evil‘. Current trends in social media indicate that many are wondering whether or not Google has forgotten that mantra and took a left turn somewhere in 2011. Even I, the Google fan boy that I am, must admit that some of Google’s recent changes — like the ones made to Google Reader on November 1, 2011 — have left a sour taste in my mouth…
Still, as a social media instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, I fought hard to have a Google class added to the social media curriculum. Why? The value of Google’s ‘free’ tools is so great that I think it’s foolish NOT to use them despite the hidden cost. All of life is about trade-offs and compromises. Although I may have sold my soul to Google long ago, my students still have a choice…
I firmly believe that Google has two of the three most powerful tools for the collection phase of content management; Gmail and Google Reader. I firmly believe I would not be who I am doing what I am doing without those two tools. Gmail allows me to effectively handle my ‘just in time’ content while Google Reader helps me handle my ‘just in case’ content. They go together like peanut butter and chocolate to help me manage the content I need to be a thought leader in my space…
Per usual, here’s a collection of the best Google articles I’ve found this past week. Enjoy!!!
http://storify.com/e1evation/this-week-in-google-at-e1evation
The Facebook IPO is now history and the dust is settling. How will the social media and the rest of the market react? How will the IPO affect social media trends? That story remains to be written…
I see two trends that may affect Facebook and social media long term; the occupy movement and privacy concerns. Let me explain…
I find it humorous in a way [sad in others] that some Facebook customers are asking for a cut of Facebook’s overwhelming profits. Is there another example of ‘products’ asking for a share of the producer’s profits? If so, I can’t think of one at the moment…
…but this is a world where the 99% rail against the 1% and question an organization’s right to make a profit. If you don’t want Facebook, don’t use it. Weigh the pros and cons and make an intelligent decision that you can live with. In the meantime, don’t be surprised that YOU are the pig in the picture…
The privacy issue is becoming more of a concern to me. I think one of the things that bothers me most about the Facebook IPO is that the overwhelming success seems to gloss over people’s privacy concerns. Has the market voted for profits over privacy? Perhaps…
Ponder that! In the meantime, here’s my weekly roundup of Facebook trends…
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
Is there life after the IPO?
http://storify.com/e1evation/facebook-trends-for-this-week
According to Mashable,
schools are on a short list of organizations that have been notoriously slow to adopt emerging tech. But within the last few years, as social media becomes more integral to students’ lives, educational institutions are finally catching on, and catching up.
When it comes to higher ed, there are not only opportunities for digital learning, but digital marketing too. Some schools have taken the reigns on both sides, with mixed results…
Source: How Higher Education Uses Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]
Not all social networks are created equal. Knowing which one to use in order to reach your target audience is critical. This infographic may be of some help…
Visual Loop – A Who’s Who of Social Media
LinkedIn has been the ‘red headed step child’ i.e., the neglected tool in my content management and social media strategy for awhile. Thank goodness my class at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College forces me to get current at least three times per year! Where would I be without those students?
If you’ve been neglecting LinkedIn this social media news should make you think twice about leaving LinkedIn out of your social media strategy:
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/e1evation/status/164712758456221696″%5D
It will definitely have an impact on what I do and teach! It’s late and I’m kinda tired so I’m gonna stop here, but I’ll leave you with my LinkedIn roundup for the past week. Have a great weekend…
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http://storify.com/e1evation/trending-topics-for-linkedin” target=”_blank”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;View the story “Trending topics for LinkedIn” on Storify&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;]
My readers know well my passion for Google Reader and the power it brings to content management. Last week I cracked the code on autoposting to Twitter with the help of ifft.com and I’ve prepped a Google Reader tips and tricks video that I’ll share with you later in the post. First, though, here’s something that made me smile…
Devon Heaton of Servant of Chaos made my day with his post on how social media mechanics like me are on the rise…
You need an individual uniquely suited to “getting s#@t done. You need the Social Media Mechanic.
This is the person who can implement your strategy, find the right bits and pieces and bolt them together. This person will know what needs to be done to make the right things work – and sometimes even do the wrong things (let’s face it, we’re still making mistakes and learning from them, right?).
But without the Social Media Mechanic, you’re just going to be left with a whole heap of unconnected parts. So once you’ve got your continuous digital strategy underway, start seeking your Social Media Mechanic. You’ll never get out of the trough of disillusion without one!
Source: The Rise of the Social Media Mechanic – Servant of Chaos
I have always referred to myself as an internet ‘plumber’ much to the chagrin of @lisenbury who pleaded with me to use the phrase internet ‘electrician’. For some reason, that didn’t suit me but social media mechanic fits just fine! So, if you’re looking for a social media mechanic, look no further…
As proof of my worthiness, I offer this ‘riff’ on Google Reader for content management. Google Reader is the most important tool in my content management workflow and here are just a few tips for using it well;
Two years ago, I wrote an epic post called ‘From Thinker to Thought Leader in one easy workflow’. The original title was ‘By Jove, I think I’ve got it‘ [shows how little I knew about writing effective post titles, eh?]. Well, it took me a couple of years, but I’ve finally found it. It? That elusive personal niche that everyone keeps talking about. I call it ‘content management and marketing for thought leadership‘ and it is my passion and my purpose in life.
What is content management and marketing for thought leadership you might say? First some terms…
Content management?
“Content management, or CM, is the set of processes and technologies that support the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. In recent times this information is typically referred to as content or, to be precise, digital content. Digital content may take the form of text, such as documents, multimedia files, such as audio or video files, or any other file type which follows a content lifecycle which requires management.” Source: Content management – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation and sharing of content in order to engage current and potential consumer bases. Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader attention and improving brand loyalty.” Source: Content marketing – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I like the perspective Mindy Gibbins-Klein’s shares in her book 24 Carat Bold:
“What does a real thought leader look like? How would you go about finding one, or becoming one, if that is of interest? Well, let’s start with the Wikipedia definition stated earlier: ‘A futurist or person who is recognized among their peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights.’ Not bad, but there is one important word missing here: market. It’s not just about being recognized by your peers and mentors. To effect real change, you need a market, or followers, or fans or constituents or a congregation… you get the idea.
Gibbins-Klein, Mindy (2009-09-01). 24 Carat BOLD: The Standard for REAL Thought Leaders (Kindle Locations 309-313). Ecademy Press. Kindle Edition.
So to me, a thought leader is a person who…
So then what is ‘content management and marketing for thought leadership‘? My simple definition goes like this: It is “becoming and being known as the expert“.
Here’s a little riff that I did last summer on the difference between thinking and thought leadership…
When I first rebooted e1evation, llc 3 years ago and shifted the focus from lead management to lead generation using inbound marketing tools, my tagline was ‘marketing, sales and technology for small business, non-profits and academic institutions’. I laugh now because that focus is so broad that not even Mashable! with their massive staff can cover it comprehensively. As time has gone on, I’ve continued to sharpen my focus so that I can increase my expertise in this emerging area. This is who I am and what e1evation, llc and this blog is about; content management and marketing for thought leadership.
When Michelangelo was asked how he created his classic work ‘David’, he said “”Ho iniziato con un blocco di marmo e scheggiato via tutto ciò che non aveva l’aspetto di David” [loosely translated: “I started with a block of marble and chipped away anything that did not look like David”]. I was inspired last week by Chris Brogan‘s comment “My blog is a piece of crap. Time to work harder.” If his blog is crap, what is mine? Why am I settling for less than sharp focus and clarified outcomes? In the month of February, my goal is to chip away from this blog everything that does not look like ‘content management and marketing for thought leadership‘.
Henceforth, this blog will be about the following topics:
…and I will parse out my thinking in the following categories…
I’m going to continue to perfect the ‘e1evation workflow’ — my ‘lather, rinse, repeat’ cycle for ‘thought leadership’ marketing — while applying the zenlike simplicity of ‘getting things done’ principles to content management and marketing for thought leadership.
If that’s what you’re looking for, stick around. Watch me. Interact with me. Let me know how I’m doing now that I’ve found my niche. If you want If you’re looking for something else let me recommend http://google.com…
Sundays are all about blogging here at e1evation. My fundamental belief is that blogging is foundational for content marketing success and that a blog should be at the center of everything you do online. Why? Here are a couple of reasons that come to mind at the moment…
It would seem that big brands are starting to get the picture…
The big three social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, were the most widely used in 2011, followed by YouTube, and publishing a blog. Across the various platforms, brands cited the following adoption levels: Facebook (87%), Twitter (83%), LinkedIn (76%), YouTube (66%), and blogs (57%). In 2012, blogs are expected to gain the most ground: An additional 28% of brands that don’t currently publish a blog plan to do so in 2012—bringing the percentage of brands that publish a blog to 85%. Social Media – Blogs Top List of Social Media Investments for 2012 : MarketingProfs Article
To my mind, blogging is the ultimate ‘content marketing for thought leadership’ tool. Maybe it’s time you took a page from their playbook and started business blogging as well?! Contact me if you’re not sure where to start…
Here are some of the best blogging articles I found this week…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
Sundays are all about blogging…
http://storify.com/e1evation/trending-topics-for-1-29-2012
Focusing on LinkedIn…
Focusing on LinkedIn…
http://storify.com/e1evation/trending-topics-for-1-27-2012
The power of signatures in email and tools for taking notes…
The power of signatures in email and tools for taking notes…
http://storify.com/e1evation/tips-for-thursday-on-1-26-2012
Looking to sink your teeth into some good strategic thoughts for a Saturday? Chris Brogan’s got you covered…
2012 is the year where social media oversaturation hits hard. We will scale back on our participation in social networks, and we will most certainly scale back who we choose to follow as sources. This won’t be because someone is bad or good. It will be based on whether the connection with that person adds value to the stream of information we’re cultivating or not.
In determining how to deliver value and stay relevant and visible in this new landscape, I’ve written down 97 ideas to help you build a valuable platform. Note: some of this thinking comes from writing a new book with Julien Smith that isn’t out until Fall 2012. Want some up front hints? Read this post.
Go to the source if you’d like to consider all 97 ideas. Me? I like #66: “The old “ABC” from Glengarry Glen Ross was “Always Be Closing.” The new ABC is “Always Be Connecting.” Networks are what make selling easier. Your platform is part of how you network.” This is the second time ABC has come up in a couple of days and I was surprised that the person I mentioned it to was not familiar with this scene. It won Alec Baldwin an Oscar… [Warning; Not safe for work!]
For me, ABC means “Always Be Content” marketing – the connecting comes later! Chris has the ideas. I have a repeatable workflow for implementing them. Comment, call or ‘connect’ so we can talk about how this applies to you and your organization…
…with a focus on LinkedIn!
With a focus on LinkedIn…
Bright, shiny objects! 
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