So I’m doing this both literally and figuratively today. I’m using Monday, July 29 as a day that I get off the couch. And it’s hard, but it feels good. Never mind the fact that I actually woke up at my alarm clock this morning at 5:30 a.m. and ran two miles, listening to a mix of Howard Stern and Sirius Fantasy Sports Radio. That’s for me, not for you. 🙂 I’m not here to be your life coach, but in some cases, I am here to be your business coach. So the important thing is the business equivalent of that “getting off the couch” – with respect to your digital strategy, of course.
Now, “digital strategy” can mean many things. To me – and to us Cabedge farmers – it means simply building a website (or product) and genuinely working hard to drive qualified traffic to it – then, and this is the part that is often overlooked – convert that traffic into leads or direct revenue.
Let’s admit it – as much as we all read SEO blogs, talk about what to post on social media for business, etc., etc. – this is what we’re all trying to do…
But just like trying to lose weight, in order to drive relevant traffic to your website, you have to be honest with yourself. Look in the mirror and hop on that scale. Are you working hard at it? Are you blogging? Are you engaging your audience with quality content? If you were your prospective audience, would you like yourself or find yourself useful?
Getting off the couch is hard. Trust me. I’m trying to practice what I preach here. The irony is that Cabedge helps businesses with their digital strategy, but hasn’t really been implementing what we tell others to. Hence “Media Mondays.”
Media Monday is a day to make sure that Cabedge can model what we teach. And that is – take all the “stuff” flying around in your industry. Read it. Know it. But don’t get paralyzed by it. Simply have your take. The same way that some of our clients are possibly expected to know everything about the clothing, entertainment, fashion, specialized law, heathcare or technology industry (respectively) – we are expected to know and advise on everything strategic design, branding and online marketing.
So, we will. And here’s how we’ll do it.
1. On our blog(s) –
- blog.cabedge.com for Strategic Design, Branding, SEO/Social Media, User Experience.
- atibasoftware.com/blog for Custom Software, Programming, Coding.
- atibanetworkservices.com/blog for Managed Services, IT Networking and Computer Consulting.
- atibamobile.com/blog for iOS, Android, Windows Apps, Smartphones and Tablets.
2. On our resources section(s) –
- Atiba.com/resources – A great place to come find useful downloads to help your business with specific tech-related topics and to-dos.
Every Monday there will be new blogs and/or resources in these locations, dealing with relevant topics that can help your business accomplish specific tasks. I’m calling these “Media Mondays” because in order to really blog effectively for both your readers/constituents, for Google (come on, admit it – you want the SERP) and for those located in Pinterest City, Facebook Nation, Twitterverse (you want the attention and shares – and you NEED the eyeballs in order to accomplish the ultimate goal — ahem —
Trust me though, I feel your pain. It’s tough to run a business, work with all constituents, AND keep up with your digital strategy by reading, blogging, sharing, washing, rinsing and repeating. You need to simplify, and that’s what I’m doing for our family of companies. But like any good workout plan or “boot camp” or “how-to guide” – I’m going to share my methodology with you along the way, as I believe it works well for both small business owners, CMOs of smaller companies, speaker/authors hoping to launch a new product or build a brand, or even VPs of marketing for larger companies, who may not have the staff size or internal resources to do Organic and Social the way they know they could.
So, here’s what I’ve done thus far. It’s simple. I call it the Seinfeld, and I used to do it all the time while running my former online sports content company (which sold premium subscriptions). Comedian Jerry Seinfeld used to keep a pad of paper handy to jot down ideas for comedy “bits”… he’d literally take it with him everywhere. He’d even put it by his bedside table so if he woke up in the middle of the night with an idea, he wouldn’t forget it.
I did this, using the “notes” app in my phone for a few years, and now I use – and recommend using what I call “the workbook.” The Workbook has taken on many forms over the past couple years within the Cabedge family, and will continue to take many more forms, but the concept will always be the same.
Seinfeld would then take time later to organize these random ideas into bits that he could take the stage with. The two-step process was organization first, then implementation.
The Workbook Concept – write down your blog ideas and inspirations in an organized form, complete with keywords, reference links, distribution links, and sometimes even assigned authors and dates of publication (not required). The purpose of the workbook is to not get overwhelmed or paralyzed in the moment. Don’t get down about eating those french fries – you’ll just eat more. Instead, identify the salad place you want to eat for lunch and put it on your calendar. Then, you’ll go there. It’s the same mentality with training yourself to have a solid online marketing strategy. Keep your thoughts and ideas organized first. The things you’re expected to have a “take” on won’t overwhelm you, but won’t fall through the cracks either. These ideas can and will pop up at any time, but the workbook helps you keep track of all of them.
My example of content I knew I should blog about last week was the whole new Gmail Inbox thing. Don’t worry, it’s in my Workbook so something is coming soon.
Instead of writing them down on a piece of paper, I use a Google Drive spreadsheet, that I can update on my computer, tablet or phone (regardless of where I am – it gets in the right place – sorry but way better than Seinfeld’s “napkin concept.”
Then, on the implementation side, have your own version of my “Media Mondays.” Have a day – or a piece of a day – where you actually sit down, look at your workbook and write a blog or a resource (can include filming a video, recording a podcast, writing a whitepaper etc.), then distribute it to your constituencies that you know will be interested in it. After all, traffic generation is the point, isn’t it?
Seinfeld had a built in audience at his shows. You have to create your own – that’s where the “distribution” tab comes into play. So, in Media Mondays moving forward, you’ll watch my Workbook evolve as a living document.
This way, I’ll be able to help the Atiba Holdings family (along with helping your business) – Learn, Create, Publish, Distribute – then Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
And yes, this is just step one. Don’t worry, we’ll get into the infamous ROI (Return on Investment) Tracking later, because all good CMOs absolutely have to mind their CFOs.
🙂
More to come and thanks for your time.
PH
Paul Hickey is the managing director of Cabedge Design, LLC – an Atiba Company – and specializes in building strategic websites that help clients and partners accomplish business goals. Paul loves writing and communicating, and helping drive relevant traffic to websites.
Tags: content generation, content strategy, Learn SEO Nashville, learn social media nashville, Small Business SEO Bootcamp, traffic generation
