“… many experts in the art of self-marketing agree that the rapid rise over the last five years of Internet-based social networking sites is a game-changer. Such sites allow like-minded people to forge connections, not just at lunch, but across the country or even overseas, leading to unprecedented opportunities for ambitious people to expand their list of contacts, generate business leads or even develop a new career.”
- Advertising Yourself: Building a Personal Brand Through Social Networks, Knowledge@Wharton
The word is out: There’s a lot to be gained by establishing an online presence for your business. But where do you start?
One week Facebook is hot, and the next week Twitter is all the rage. Are podcasts still a good idea? What about MySpace? Not to mention the couple dozen traditional media channels, from direct mail to radio and TV spots.
Here’s a good way to think about it. My colleague Kevin Popovic at Ideahaus Communications has developed the concept of Satellite Marketing(TM).
As you might infer, this involves setting up a core presence (your Web site) and then using the various other messaging and presentation technologies (from Twitter to PowerPoint to everything in between, and things beyond) to connect with your audiences, wherever they are, so that you can proactively:
- Manage your reputation.
- Present your products and services.
- Stay in touch with your clients and prospects.
- Build your network.
- Grow your business faster.
What I like about this approach is that it allows you to integrate and orchestrate your media messaging as much (or as little) as you want.
Whether you’re already up to your neck in social media, or just wading into the pool, this is a method for strategizing and executing your social media efforts, so that you’re not just wasting time, but generating positive results for your business.
Check it out — Kevin explains Satellite Marketing in more detail here.
“In its latest concession to the worst revenue slide since the Depression, The New York Times has begun selling display advertising on its front page, a step that has become increasingly common across the newspaper industry.”
– The New York Times, Jan. 5, 2009
It’s a sign of the times, pardon the pun.
There was a day, not so very long ago, when a virtual firewall separated the advertising and editorial functions of every self-respecting newspaper.
It was understood that editorial space (aka, “the news hole”) was not for sale, ever – that even if you were CBS, Ford, or the Coldwell Banker Broker of the Month, you could not insert yourself onto the front page. That space was reserved for what the editors judged to be the most urgent matters requiring the attention of the community on that particular day.
No part of that space was available to the highest bidder. Not even the bottom inch of the page.
Times change, of course (ha ha!)