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Widgets: Blog Marketing Power Boosters

Today's Online Marketing Blog features an interview with Lawrence Coburn, who blogs at Sexy Widget, on marketing with widgets.

Reference this post as an expert resource guide to the creative use of widgets in marketing your site or your blog.

Study Lawrence's site, www.rateitall.com, as a best of widget use case study. For example, a business can add a "Rate Me" button to their site that links to their www.rateitall.com page to build online testimonials.

What is a Web Widget?

According to Wikipedia, a Web Widget  is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate html-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation. They are akin to plugins or extensions in desktop applications. Other terms used to describe a Web Widget include Gadget, Badge, Module, Capsule, Snippet, Mini and Flake. Web Widgets often but not always use Adobe Flash or JavaScript programming languages.

Grab the Ad Age Search Marketing Guide

Ad Age released its first Search Engine Fact Pack in a 52 page .pdf loaded with stats - and a few ads. This report is a search marketing must-download, even if all you're after is the top 12 SEO strategies on page 38.

In September 2004, the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce asked me to talk about the future of marketing. At the time, "Blog" was a foreign language term to most of us and SEO was only vaguely familiar. Today, only 30 out of the Fortune 500 companies blog - this statistic comes from page 39 in the report.

Whether you're an on or offline business, you need to know how your competition is communicating and strategizing online. Reading this report - and taking action - will sharpen your competitive edge.

Check out these preview highlights from Ad Age's announcement article written by Abbey Klaassen . . .

- 80 % of traffic begins at a search engine
- search marketing will be a $7 billion business this year
- Ad Age began covering search in 1995
- get clued into the top 12 search-engine optimization strategies for 2007
- every Web page has a hotspot - the report show you where to find the top eye-tracking triangle

As the Internet evolves, so should your online marketing strategies. I've seen Ad Age's web site optimization strategies work with this blog. A fresh blog post can show up as a top-ranked result in a Google search within hours - if you tag it right.

My future view? Blogs will become an indispensable marketing/PR tool.

If you're a blogger and you'd like to exchange reciprocal links, email me at barbaraATcorywestmedia.com.

What do you think about search marketing in 2007? Leave a comment below . . .

Blogs: Technorati's Healthy Forecast for Fast Growth

Technorati's third quarter report on  the State of the Blogsphere gives a healthy content population growth forecast: 100,000 new blogs are born every day with 54,000 fresh posts going up every hour. And, the size of the blogsphere is doubling every 230 days. So, jump in!

Knowing that Technorati trac ks over 57 million blogs might be enough to keep you from jumping in - but the report gives away the site's formula for high authority rankings: post often (at least twice a day) and be linked to. According to their system, this blog ranks in the top 2 percent. Now I feel better . . .

Claim your blog and set up a Technorati profile.

 

Abe Lincoln's T-Mails: high-tech Civil War communications

Found this post about What Abe Lincoln's T-Mail Teach Us About Blogging , on the MicroPersuasion blog today.

Here's a brief clip from author Tom Wheeler's site about his book, Mr. Lincoln's T-Mail . . .

"The Civil War was the first 'modern war.' Abraham Lincoln became president of a divided nation during a period of both technological and social revolution. Among the many modern marvels was the telegraph, which Lincoln used to stay connected to the forces in the field in almost real time. No leader in history had ever possessed such a powerful tool. As a result Lincoln had to learn for himself how to use the power of electronic messages. Without precedent to guide him, Lincoln developed his own model of electronic communications -- an approach that echoes today in our use of email."

This is my third post (so far), today, that references a blog or blogging and my first ever about Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln probably wouldn't approve of an elaborate tribute and a blog isn't the platform for elongated entries.

But, it is election day and because I've spent my whole life (except for a few months in Indiana) as a resident of the Land of Lincoln, I'd like to share a few thoughts and links with you.

Growing up in Danville, Illinois my home was only a few blocks from Ward Hill Lamon's office. As a teenager, I volunteered as a Vermilion County Museum tour guide. The museum is housed in William Fithian's home.  Lincoln gave a speech on the balcony in his stocking feet and slept in the bed in the room. Visit the musuem the next time you're in Danville, Illinois.

Learn more about Lincoln online . . .

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Stories about Abraham Lincoln and his law partner in Danville, Ward Hill Lamon

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Lincoln's Final Resting Place

The Lincoln Room at Vermilion County Museum

Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago

One last thing I'd like to share . . .

Here at home, we have a rare copy of Ida M. Tarbell's The Life of Abraham Lincoln, written in 1895. Our copy is from 1900. "Drawn from original SOURCES and containing many SPEECHES, LETTERS and TELEGRAMS hitherto unpublished, and illustrated with many reproductions from original Paintings, Photographs, et cetera," says the intro on the faceplate.

The preface to Volume II's appendix [pages 265-459] states, "The following Letters, Telegrams and Speeches of Abraham Lincoln have been collected by the author in the course of the work of preparing this Life of Lincoln. None of these documents appear in Lincoln's 'Complete Works' edited by Nicolay and Hay or in any other collection of his writings."  The first telegram is dated August 10, 1883;  the last is dated April 11, 1865 only 4 days before his passing.

After reading about Wheeler's take on Lincoln's telegrams, I'm anxious to page through my 106 year old book as a reference for expedient email communication.

If you're wondering about Ida M. Tarbell . . . 

Known for her exposes of corporate America, particularly Standard Oil, along with her Lincoln biographies, Ms. Tarbell was a newspaper and magazine writer as well as an editor, lecturer, and  muckraker.

"Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it none exists - with it all things are possible."  Ida M. Tarbell

Here's hoping you voted today . . .

Non-Profit Blogging Resource

Today I met with a large and established non-profit agency who wants to raise their donor awareness profile.

Of course I suggested blogging as a way to blast open online communications.

Here's a non-profit blogging, podcasting and social media resource site for those who want to get going and posting.

You do, don't you???

If you know of other non-profit blogging resources, thanks for sharing in the comment section below . . .

New Blog by The Godfather of List Building

If you read my previous post about Liz Ryan, whom I dubbed the mother of list building, then it's only fair that I tell you about Tellman Knudson, the Godfather of List Building.

Founder of List Crusade, Tellman Knudson is also the creator of My First List, an information product that tells you how to - you guessed it - build your first list.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to take Tellman's course.

Here's how I found out about it . . .

Being the ever clever marketer, Tellman "called" [using broadcast voicemail technology] one day. Phoebe picked up the phone, smiled coyly and said, "Mom, Tellman's calling for you."

[I admit my kids know way too much about Internet marketers - Warren insisted on listening to Tellman's Death Match when he came home for lunch in 5^th grade. And when Alex Mandossian sent my Teleseminar Secrets course material to the house, the kids unpacked it all and displayed the manuals and CDs in the living room. "Wow! Alex is so nice to send you the whole boxed set!" they exclaimed.]

Now, back to the post . . .

Intrigued, I took the call and before I knew what hit me, I'd typed in my credit card number and registered for Tellman's My First List.

For those of you who aren't as familiar with buying information products online as those of us who have purposefully memorized our credit card numbers so we can take advantage of timely offers, here's how these products work.

You pay for the opportunity to purchase any or all of these, depending on the product: one or a series of live teleseminars, mp3 recordings of a teleseminar or a presentation, DVDs of a video, transcripts of the information, a manual and bonuses.

In this case, I paid for the privilege of being one of the first to try out the "product" - a series of three phone calls with Tellman and his friends, all list building experts in their own right. A handout that outlined the call was also included as was access to recordings and transcripts.

The problem with me signing up without thinking was timing. Tellman scheduled the live calls to take place on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. While my family is accustomed to seeing me stroll around the house after dinner on weeknights wearing a headset listening to teleseminars, taking time away to study and listen on a weekend afternoon would present a challenge. 

One that I decided I would overcome by doing as often do - crossing the bridge when I come to it.

The first installment was captivating enough to keep me waiting in suspense for the next call. What was so great? Tellman and his colleagues were actually talking to people and giving them answers – and they stayed on the call until the questions ran out.

But I couldn't get up the nerve to push 1 to get in line to ask a question.

For two days, I hesitated.

I did the homework, though.

And on day three, somehow I got up the courage to push 1 and share my progress, which you can see for yourself at www.transformmarketing.com, my first opt-in email page.

Amazingly enough, I got through to ask a question directly. One of Tellman’s colleagues, Harris Fellman, opted in to my email list and that opened the door to our PR projects.

Should you buy My First List?

If you're looking for a short-cut, rapid-fire easy way to get your list going, yes. It's up to you to decide whether or not to buy into the recommended products and services. If you do, your list will grow faster.

Because of all the personal interaction, this was one of the best courses I've purchased. Anytime an expert you trust offers and opportunity to participate and be part of a new product launch, don't hestitate.

Why am I writing about all this almost six months after it happened?

To let you know that Tellman's now blogging about list building.  Check out Tellman Knudson's list building blog for ideas and strategies on how to grow your own list.

And, if you subscribe to Tellman's email list, be prepared to pick up on some of the zaniest, brightest and most persuasive writing you'll see in your email box. 

Have questions or comments on the way you grow your list? Thanks for sharing by clicking on the comments link!

Barbara

Project Runway::What do Moms Think About Laura?

It's time to out myself - yes, I am forcing my way through my too crammed closet to confess: I am hooked on Project Runway.

What's the big deal? Everyone has favorite TV shows, don't they?

Not me.

I don't watch TV regularly - except at the Y when I'm working out.

But I do now.

Project Runway's connected me with my kids in new ways, introduced me to other closet fashionistas and even given me something to talk about with people who don't watch the show.

Take Laura . . . her story's given my friendly mom network plenty to talk about.

Devoted stay-at-home moms [who also work, even if they're not getting paid] can't believe anyone would leave their five kids at home. Maybe Laura has a nanny just like Mary Poppins, I reassure them.

Or maybe she's like a working mom I know who has 4 kids, travels extensively and is a seemingly inexhaustible volunteer. How does she do it? With army of household help and tightly scheduled quality time with her kids. 

The career set who delicately balance home and work lives by interchanging masks and moods with the waves of the day find a kindred spirit in watching a woman in her early 40s take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity.

One of my friends is a singer who just got back home from an audition on Broadway. Will her second grader and her husband relocate to New York if she gets the part? Probably not. But then again, her child just turned down an international tour herself.

When any project's runway calls, you can heed it or stay home. It's a tough call, but when it's gone it's gone.

Kudos to Laura for going for it and sticking it out. She'll make it work.

Read more about the show at the Project Runway Ultimate Fan Blog.

Katie Anchors a Vlogcast (and the CBS Evening News)

We Are The Media reports Katie Couric's blogging with text and video. If you're looking for something to do this afternoon, register and comment on what she wore last night. Embedded within the CBS News site, Couric & Co is one of three blogs to enliven a typical major broadcast web interface. Katie's bio charts her accomplishments, including raising $27 million for charity. That's a pretty impressive statistic. You go, girl!