Boston Tweetups Equal Joselin Mane

Podcast interview with Joselin Mane. Joselin is a former IBMer who runs an internet marketing consultancy and a Tweetup service called Boston Tweetups. Joselin is a colorful character. You’ll enjoy meeting him in this blog post and the video links below.

I met Joselin at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Foxboro, MA in October where we connected very quickly. We both run inbound marketing agencies and we talked shop for a while and hit it off. I knew Joselin would be a great guest on my podcast show because he has so many interesting stories about Tweetups and SEO and social media marketing. Don’t limit yourself to reading this blog post. You should listen to the full podcast interview (above).

Tweetups

What is a Tweetup? The term evolved from meetups where people organized and promoted events around a topic. A Tweetup is an event that originates from people who organized it through Twitter.  A common example is when people who attend a conference get together in social settings and the event is totally organized and promoted organically through Twitter.

Why Should Marketers Consider Organizing a Tweetup?

Tweetups are very social. Most marketers can get huge value by bringing people together and engaging and networking. It’s common knowledge that we do business with people we like and trust. And, meeting face to face speeds up the relationship and trust building process.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a B2B or B2B company, the face to face aspect of making connections is very powerful. Tweetups are all about building relationships. While a Tweetup can have a specific purpose such a cause or product announcement, it can also just be purely social. Joselin uses Eventbrite to announce, organize and offer advice on Tweetups through his Boston Tweetup service.

Joseline’s Top 3 Do’s and Don’ts for Tweetup Organizers

Do’s

1. Decide on the theme first.
2. Attend other people’s Tweetups.
3. Document everything.

Don’t’s

1. Don’t forget the human element.
2. Don’t change too many things once promotion begins.
3. Don’t neglect the details and be sure to plan ahead.

Boston Tweetup

Joselin missed an event last year and decided to research events and when he did he found nine event calendars. Joselin then consolidated them into one calendar for Boston social media and marketing events. He set up a blog and shared this calendar and started Tweeting about the calendar. Eventually Joselin’s calendar became recognized as the authority for Boston social media events.  One thing Joselin did consistently was promote other people’s events asking for nothing in return. Joselin has proved to be a thought leader in Boston through his social media event calendar.

Next Boston Tweetup December 3rd

Joselin’s website for Boston Tweetup includes a video summary of each Boston Tweetup event.  He also offers a poll for each Tweetup where people can vote on the Tweetup events and post comments. Joseline’s unselfish leadership on social media calendaring has resulted in new opportunities including attending Celtics games in box seats as well as meeting people from NBC which resulted in an assignment. Who knows, we may see Joseline one morning on NBC’s Today Show talking about his Tweetups. I wouldn’t be surprised. I also won’t be surprised to hear that his big Tweetup on December 3rd will be the biggest of the year!

Video for SEO

Joselin helps clients with SEO using best practices and a video strategy. Google is always interested in presenting recent content in its search results. He points out that videos get indexed very rapidly by search engines. But, search engines can not index the actual content in a video. Rather, they index the meta data in videos. Google has to index videos rapidly because there are so many videos being uploaded every day.  Joselin creates customized video for clients and uploads them to about 150 social media profiles. Each video is tagged and uploaded to each of these social media sites. He uses geo tagging to appeal to Google’s Universal Search features.  Joselin interviews his client and captures their value proposition in a short video and propagates it across about 150 social sites. He releases videos on dozens of video sites and on various social sites like StumbleUpon, Delicious and Twine. One entry can result in dozens of entries in search results.

SEO Has Become CSO

Joselin’s approach is an example of my sentiment that SEO is becoming CSO (content search optimization). By creating a broad content footprint that gets spread across the web very methodically marketers can create strong reach and great search results. Joselin likens this to a mall and the stores in the mall. A storefront exists inside a mall. The social sites such as Facebooks and YouTube are malls. People enter these malls and can see the content in each “mall.”

Cool Glasses

I asked Joselin about the cool glasses he wears. He said an optometrist friend of his recommended these glasses. They have no legs. Rather they use a short spring that rests on each temple. I’m sure it took a little getting used to but these glasses are very interesting. I’ve never seen anyone else wearing these glasses. They are symbolic of Joselin’s unique personality. He’s one of a kind!

Below is my interview with Joselin at the Inbound Marketing Summit in October. Enjoy…

Inbound Marketing Summit Uncensored

Inbound Marketing Summit – Boston, MA, October 7 & 8, 2009

I have attended all three Inbound Marketing Summit events this year, starting with April in San Francisco, May in Dallas and October in Boston (Foxboro, MA). Following are my summary thoughts of all three events.

The Inbound Marketing Summit is organized and put on by New Marketing Labs (NML), headed by Chris Brogan and Justin Levy along with a small army of smart people who don’t share the limelight but deserve recognition. In general I am a fan of this event. But, so that you don’t think I’m a totally sold-out IMS groupee I’ll share my criticisms before sharing the many positives.

IMS Glass is Half Full

These events should have been attended by three or four times the actual turnouts at each event despite the state of the economy. In full disclosure Find and Convert was an event sponsor at all three events.  But in my opinion the number of people who missed out on the educational content is too many. Considering the cost of the two-day event is only $695 with $200 discounts offered, almost anyone could afford this event. While the Boston turnout was the best of the three (about 500), it still could’ve been better. The venues for each event were adequate. The Boston event was held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. While this venue is first class, the layout was very poor for the event sponsors due to the fact we couldn’t hear the speakers without leaving the sponsor area. This was not a problem in San Francisco and Dallas. While all the speakers were terrific, some of them (very few) think it’s perfectly okay to drop a dozen or two F-bombs during their presentations. Not…

Inbound Marketing is the New Vocabulary

With minor criticisms aside, these events truly offer marketers at all levels actionable insights into inbound marketing strategies including social media, new media, internet marketing, content marketing, measurement tools and contemporary marketing strategy in general. The pace of content delivery was terrific. NML organized an impressive list of speakers and panels, none of which exceeded 20 minutes. These short bursts of brain dumps kept the audience engaged at all times. Marketers walked away from each event with insights and ideas to act on. The agenda covered topics ranging from what is inbound marketing, to how to develop a social media strategy, to how to create viral video, to cause marketing. The range of topics enabled marketers to capture actionable ideas. In addition to the awesome content, there were plenty of networking opportunities before, during and after the event sessions. I found everyone, including all the speakers very affable.

The undisputed star of the Inbound Marketing Summit was Chris Brogan. 2009 has been a breakout year for Chris. His speaking demeanor gives you transparent insight into Chris the person, or as he would say “the human.” If you ask Chris Brogan what he does, his answer is “typist,” which is an obvious reference to his prolific content development on his blog, as well as his new book, Trust Agents, and his numerous speaking engagements around North America.

While I appreciate Chris Brogan’s insights and intellect on what I call marketing 2.0, there is another aspect of Chris which I have observed and admire very much. Chris has a big heart for charity. He is a regular guy. I have never met his family but I bet he comes from a close, loving family. I speculate that because Chris clearly loves other “humans.” He is not arrogant in any way (though some think he is). He simply loves to help people. In fact, his rise to fame is built on helping people by sharing his evangelical advice and counsel on various social media marketing topics.

But, Chris Brogan’s generosity is not limited to sharing his gray matter. Chris also shares his compassion for less fortunate people. In other words, he puts his money and influence where his mouth (actually his heart) is. Below are two video interviews I conducted with Chris at IMS events that illustrate my point.

In San Francisco, Chris explains why he shaved his head for charity.

In Boston, Chris explains how he is using his influence to build awareness for Skip1.org, a charity whose slogan is, “Skip something. Feed a child.”

The Inbound Marketing Summit is a conference chock full of great content, great people, great networking and opportunities for all marketers. I’m sure Brogan and Levy and all the smart folks at NML will put their heads together to make the events even bigger and better in 2010. I suggest you stay tuned.

Justin Levy New Media Results in Motion

Justin Levy is General Manager and partner at Caminito Argentinian Steakhouse in Northampton, MA. Justin is focused on the marketing side of the business.  His partner Joseph M. Gionfriddo is responsible for day to day responsibilities and is the head chef.

Although Caminito Argentinian Steakhouse is a local restaurant with a single location in western Massachusetts all marketing is global on the web but with a local target.

A True Marketing 2.0 Strategy.

I wrote a case study about Caminito Steakhouse in my Marketing 2.0 book. When Justin became a partner in Caminito in March 2008 80% of the marketing budget was in local print advertising. Justin cut most of it. Instead, Justin built the website which includes Google maps with directions, lunch menus, dinner menus, appetizers, wine specials, and more.  Justin made sure the website used SEO best practices in order to be found for desirable keywords such as  “traditional steakhouse.”

Justin also developed a blog separate from the restaurant website. The blog is called Prime Cuts. The blog is a thought leader with cooking tips, grilling tips and behind the scenes cooking insights filled with steakhouse expertise.

Caminito’s video strategy includes Prime Cuts TV which is tied into the blog and also shared on video channels like YouTube. They feature mostly Joe with weekly videos about real life examples of hard to explain cooking topics. They are mostly things that are fun and a little more difficult to do such as how to sharpen knives, how to judge the temperature on a grill, etc. You’ll have to check it out for a fun learning culinary experience.

Justin is very active on Twitter, through @justinlevy plus Facebook with feeds to FriendFeed, Google shared items and basically anywhere it can be fed. Flickr, Vimeo, Blip.TV, YouTube. Anywhere they can find a footprint on the web.

Broad Footprint

Old style marketing for a single location restaurant would be marketing to people within a 50 mile radius. But, Justin’s Marketing 2.0 strategy reaches people around the world.  For example, I can recommend Caminito Steakhouse to my network even though I’m located in Florida. My network includes people in Boston and around the world. This can have a multiplier effect.

Results in Motion

Before Justin joined Caminito Steakhouse they were averaging 5% to 10% decreases in sales each month. The last 18 months since Justin has set his Marketing 2.0 strategy through social media, sales have consistently increased 20% or more each month over the same month in the previous year. During the summer of 2009 they’ve been up 70% over the same months in the previous year.

Content Marketing Strategy

Caminito Steakhouse has created a broad footprint on the web with a lot of great content. They spread and share it. The result is great SEO rankings, in some cases ranking even higher than national steakhouse chains like Ruth’s Crist and Longhorn. “This stuff works!”

New Marketing Labs

Justin is also General Manager of New Marketing Labs. Their Inbound Marketing Summit is coming up  October 7/8 in Boston. This IMS is the third event of the year with previous events in San Francisco and Dallas in April and May respectively.  IMS has many rock star speakers including Chris Brogan and Brian Solis. I’ll also be on a panel on innovative marketing programs using new media strategies. Check out the Inbound Marketing Summit.

Hope to see you at IMS in Boston. Maybe we can have a steak together at Caminito Steakhouse.

My First Knol Article

Recently, I was in San Francisco attending the Inbound Marketing Summit event. The day after IMS I had a think tank lunch meet up with three outstanding bay area marketing minds: Murry Shohat, Gary Katz and Jerry Hart.  We discussed my book, Marketing Operations and new media paradigms.

Murry, who is a long time friend and mentor, told us about a meeting he recently attended at the Googleplex with the Knol team. You see, Murry is quite the Knol master. When you Google the word Knol, Murry Shohat’s LinkedIn profile is one of the search results in WebMynd.  Murry Shohat has quickly earned a top rating as an author in Knol.

Knol is a new project from Google. In August it will have been live for one year. Google calls Knol a unit of knowledge.

Knol is considered by some to be Google’s answer to Wikipedia. There are some similarities for sure. And, there are differences.

Knol allows anyone to author an article. You only need a Google account to be Knol author.  When you write an article in Knol it is intended to be informative, not advertising.  Knol has a social feel to it.  The tagline on the Knol home page is “share what you know and write a Knol.”  When you author a Knol article, the default is a Creative Commons license. If you want to protect your article, you can copyright your article by selecting “all rights reserved.”

Wikipedia has an entry which describes Knol accurately.  One big difference between Knol and Wikipedia is that you  don’t know the author of Wikipedia articles. Whereas a Google Knol article displays the author’s name including a photo and link to his or her profile. According to Jimmy Wales, CEO of Wikipedia, Knol is not a direct competitor because Wikipedia views itself as a community and they are a non-profit. Google gives the author the option of displaying  Adwords links in a Knol article and shares revenue with the author.

Other social attributes of Knol include the ability to share and rate each article.  The author of a Knol article uses a familiar WYSIG content management system (CMS) where you can insert links, pictures, and edit the text as you want.

Knol is still new and I’m still learning it. My early impressions are positive.  First, it doesn’t surprise me that Google has innovated something that is part social networking and part Wikipedia. Knol is another platform to go to search and find content on topics of interest. If you have something to contribute, do it. That’s what Knol is about.

After I published my first Knol article I learned that Knol uses a global “no follow” setting to disallow link authority (Google juice). Too bad, but I’m not surprised. But, there is hope. Google explains their intent to selectively “follow” some “trusted” authors. Their method is not clear. We’ll have to watch this to see how it unfolds over time.

Let’s keep an eye on Knol. I think it’s going to gain awareness and prominence in social content and valid link flow content. But, I’m sure Google will keep a close eye out for abusers. There is already a built-in function to report abusers.

Check out my first Knol article on Twitter and give it a rating, or comment or share it. Just check it out and start learning about Knol.

And, check out Murry Shohat on Knol and on Twitter, and get to know his expertise in using Knol in marketing communications.

Bernie Borges
@berniebay

Memories from the Inbound Marketing Summit

I attended the Inbound Marketing Summit in San Francisco April 28/29.  I’ve processed the event in my head and here are some of my memories from the event.

Chris Brogan’s humility is as impressive as his wisdom.

Justin Levy doesn’t need much sleep to get the job done.

David Meerman Scott offers countless triggers to turn your content into a world wide rave.

Paul Gillin is my choice to lead a panel session any day of the week.

Dharmesh Shah likes to give presentations no matter how much he tells us he doesn’t.

Tim Ferriss isn’t shy about plugging his services while he has the stage.

Brian Halligan’s parents had deep discussions about Tide detergent commercials.

Tim Street is my choice to close out a full day of presentations any time.

Tim O’Reilly is also my choice to close out a full day of presentations any time.

The private party sponsored by DNA13 was great. Too bad just two bartenders were on call for 200 people.

Here are some interesting factoids that caught my attention during the presentations.

The average age of the newspaper reader in the U.S. is 57: Paul Gillin

We learned to share in kindergarten. Our training for social networking started then: Tim Young.

To get your video to go viral create a spectacle, tell a story, create emotion: Tim Street

Companies who measure the lifetime value of customers measure the outcome of relationships in social media: Charlene Li. BTW, not to take anything away from Charlene, but I’ve been saying the same for quite a while…

Chris Brogan’s (self proclaimed) occupation is “typist.”

Here is a list of 19 things learned at the Inbound Marketing Summit by Jason Stewart.

I interviewed Chris Brogan to discuss why he shaved his head for charity (unedited):

I interviewed Mike Volpe to discuss the meaning of inbound marketing:

Hope to see you at the next Inbound Marketing Summit in Dallas, May 27/28.

Bernie Borges
@berniebay

Mike Volpe Podcast Interview on Inbound Marketing

In this podcast, I interviewed Inbound Marketing guru, Mike Volpe, V.P. of Marketing at HubSpot. Below is a summary of the podcast interview.  The interview is 28 minutes long and worth every minute (IMHO).

Mike has been a marketing geek for about a decade. I can legitimately call him a marketing geek because his background is in investment banking where he did marketing with a very analytical perspective.

Mike has transferred his analytical skills to HubSpot, an inbound marketing software system sold primarily to small/medium business. HubSpot is an all in one inbound marketing system that, when used to its full potential helps businesses produce more leads. Find and Convert uses HubSpot for ourselves and for our clients. We implement inbound marketing strategies for clients using HubSpot as a toolset as a one-stop-shop platform to manage all inbound marketing campaigns.

The term Inbound Marketing is a relatively new buzzword. It stems from the trend that marketing is transitioning from outbound marketing – broadcasting messages, interruption based tactics hoping that a small percentage respond – to an inbound strategy where you are doing the right things to get found and contacted by prospective customers through good content and relationships on the web. Buyers now have numerous tools they can use to block unwanted outbound marketing tactics such as caller ID (cold calling), spam filters (email blasts),  RSS readers (print advertising), TIVO (television advertising).

A survey conducted by HubSpot in January called the State of Inbound Marketing, cites several compelling findings  including:

• Inbound marketing channels deliver a dramatically lower cost per sales lead than outbound marketing channels. The study cites a 61% lower cost per sales lead through inbound marketing channels!
• Blogs lead other social media categories in terms of importance to business.
• Small businesses are most aggressively allocating lead generation budgets to blogging, social media and search engine optimization.

I often ask clients how they buy products/services. The common response I hear is by searching on the Internet and asking their friends/network for recommendations. So, it’s not hard to understand why Inbound Marketing makes sense in contemporary marketing.

HubSpot co-sponsored the The Inbound Marketing Summit in 2008  in Cambridge (which I attended). This year New Marketing Labs has launched 3 Inbound Marketing Summit events. Both HubSpot and Find and Convert are sponsors at all three events. The theme of IMS 09 is Turn Strategy Into Action.

Mike Volpe wrote the foreword in my forthcoming book: Marketing 2.0. I invited Mike to write it because we are very aligned on inbound marketing strategies. Mike believes that my book will provide a tactical resource to marketers in the “why” of inbound marketing and “how” to do it, for small/medium size businesses (SMB). Of course, I agree.

I have observed many SMB CEOs starting to use LinkedIn and Facebook at an accelerated pace. CEOs are saying “I can’t ignore this, I need to be a part of the social media movement.”

When I speak to anyone about inbound marketing, I try to answer the question “show me the money.” There is a gap between sellers and buyers. That’s a fact…I talk about how marketers can bridge that gap. Conventional marketing is still relevant to some extent but less so. Relationship building has always been important, but now it’s important online. Inbound marketing strategies allow marketers to start building relationships online long before the prospect can become a customer.

A case in point…Mike Volpe and Bernie Borges met online before we ever met in person. When we met in person we already had an online relationship which was strengthened when we met in person. Staying in contact online allows the relationship to continue rather than relying on the traditional, but rare phone call to stay in touch. We can stay in touch easily and productively by following our respective activities through platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Mike also discussed HubSpot TV, which is is a live a video stream every Friday at 4pm at www.hubspot.tv. The weekly show is hosted by Mike Volpe and Karen Rubin. They pick stories that occurred during the week. Sometimes they have a special guest (like MC Hammer who dropped by one day). The studio is in the HubSpot office and is very low cost. They originally spent $400 on a video camera and a $100 microphone.  Any company can do a live web TV stream. HubSpot hopes to add more subscribers. More guests may be coming in the future (maybe me?).

The point of inbound marketing is not about budget. It’s about taking the initiative, anyone can do it!

Predictions from Mike Volpe: Search will become more personalized over time. People will use more than search engines. For example, Facebook delivers relevant results within Facebook. Mike’s prediction is exactly what I’ve previously blogged about: SEO should become SO. This means that people need to have a presence in social media, not just in search engines as technology comes available to deliver search results across many properties on the web. Broaden your footprint on the web where your content and relationships exist on the web so you can increase your ability to be found. Search results will become more personal and will not be limited to search engines.

I will see Mike in San Francisco at the first IMS09 event.

You can find Mike Volpe on Twitter: @mvolpe

You can find me on Twitter: @berniebay

If you’re planning to attend IMS09 in any city, make sure to connect so we can meet up. If not, follow along on Twitter with the stream #IMS09.

Justin Levy Podcast Interview

Podcast Interview: Justin Levy – General Manager New Marketing Labs, Co-Owner of Caminito Argentinian Steakhouse in Northampton, MA.  Justin is also the chief blogger behind the Prime Cuts blog, where he offers advice on how to prepare meals, select wines and he also provides video examples on a variety of culinary topics.

I wrote about the Caminito Steakhouse in my forthcoming social media book. Justin uses social media to create community and buzz about the restaurant. When Justin first bought into the restaurant, his best friend and head chef was struggling with the business. It was declining. So, Justin set out to market the restaurant on the web. He first focused on SEO to own the top rankings in Google for desirable keywords like “steakhouse Northampton.” He became very active on Facebook and Twitter and created great results. The restaurant has been growing 20% each month, year over year as a direct result of Justin’s social media marketing efforts. Justin has branded himself, which has a very positive impact on the steakhouse. As he meets people on the social web, and at conferences they visit the restaurant and tell their friends about it.

In this podcast, you’ll learn how Justin juggles a busy life between the restaurant and planning three major events called the Inbound Marketing Summit. And, because we ran out of time, we didn’t even discuss New Marketing Labs new Internet TV venture. I guess I’ll have to have Justin back on the show again. Ya think?!

New Marketing Labs is Chris Brogan’s social media agency. NML works with medium and large brands to “move the needle” using new media. The upcoming Inbound Marketing Summit conferences are coming up April 28th and 29th in San Francisco, Dallas May 27th and 28th and Boston September 30th and October 1st.  The event theme is turning strategy into action. They’ve lined up speakers who are recognized thought leaders, and sponsors who have products and expertise that implement new media strategies that turn strategy into action.

The Inbound Marketing Summit has an impressive speaker list. Speakers include Timothy Ferris, Tim O’Reilly, David Meerman Scott, Chris Brogan, Charlene Li and many others.

Find and Convert is one of the sponsors of the Inbound Marketing Summit. I plan to attend each event and will also speak or participate on a panel session.

Justin is offering Find and Convert podcast listeners a VIP $200 discount at the Inbound Marketing Summit website.

You can connect with Justin Levy on Facebook,

Maybe we’ll see you at one of the upcoming Inbound Marketing Summit events…

Bernie Borges, aka @berniebay

Closed Loop Marketing Video

Below is the video of the Closed Loop Marketing session I did at the Inbound Marketing Summit.  Here is the blog post and podcast summary. 

 

Closing the Loop Between Marketing and Sales

This podcast summarizes a session I recently conducted at the first annual  Inbound Marketing Summit September 8th in Cambridge, MA.  The event was sponsored by Hubspot, the providers of the industry’s leading inbound marketing system and WebsiteGrader.com.  There were about 300 people in attendance and through the use of social media the event reached nearly 100,000 people. 

I conducted a session called “Closed Loop Marketing.”  A link to the presentation slides are available here.

The keynote speakers were David Meerman Scott and Seth Godin both well known authors, bloggers and speakers.  They didn’t disappoint with their clever insights into contemporary marketing. 

Here is one of my “take aways” from each keynoter:

Scott: “you can’t measure everything…what is the ROI of putting on your pants in the morning?…of the receptionist?…the guys cutting the grass in front of the building?”  His point is that the way we measure contemporary marketing is not the same as it used to be.

Godin: “when you look at a cow, it’s pretty boring, but if you color it purple people notice it.”  His point is that marketing has to stand out.  It needs to be different and attention-grabbing to cut through all the bad marketing which clutters our brain every day. 

My session covererd the four pillars of closing the loop between marketing and sales:

1) Key Relationships: marketers must know each of the executive stakeholders and their measurement criteria and be aligned with them to effectively measure results (see Scott’s point above).

2) Strategies: know behavior of your target market, design proper messaging, listen to online communities, allocate resources wisely, think “small” (long tail strategies)

3) Best Practices: “eat lunch with stakeholders,” know your competition and industry thought leaders, propagate your content, test, measure, revise (TMR), don’t be afraid to experiment.

4) Measurement Strategies: measure leads, sales, “buzz,” brand, cost-per (fill in the blank).  Use tools to measure ranging from manual calculations, free or inexpensive tools, to elaborate and costly tools based on your budget and marketing programs.

In this session I placed a lot of emphasis on rolling out marketing programs that are well aligned with key stakeholders and that your measurement strategies agree with your key stakeholder’s goals and criteria.

The full presentation videos for all the sessions from IMS08 will be available on the Inbound Marketing Summit Website in the near future.  I also recommend you check out the full Flickr slideshow on the Inbound Marketing Summit at  www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ims08/.

How do you close the loop between marketing and sales in your business?