Usually after I go shopping, I want to wear everything at once. As a result, I find myself engulfed by clothing, most of which does not even match. Frustrated, I end up leaving the house in jeans and a t-shirt.It's easy to get lost in the jumble of new media, to jump in headfirst, to overanalyze and forget to plan. This week it's time to take a step back. This week, the top five marketing stories from InboundMarketing.com are all about getting back to basics.
1. How Truly Serious Are You About Being Social?
Author: Beth Harte, The Harte of Marketing
In this short post, Harte poses a truly thoughtful question: If Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn disappeared, what would you do with your social media efforts?
Over a dozen comments have already been added, and there is a recurring theme among them. If you have a defined strategy and goals and know that social media is a platform, not a strategy, you should be just fine. Keep the conversation going, go where your customers are, and build your community.
Lesson: Learn to Be Social Without Social Media
2. The ROI of Social Networking
Author: John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing
The ROI of social media is consistently a hot topic among marketers. Jantsch approaches the problem in a different way. Beyond simply using social media, the question is, are you using it correctly?
Jantsch suggests aligning your offline networking (read: luncheons, cocktail parties, trade associations) with your online networking by creating a set of objectives. This will help to "more easily identify the networks that make sense, the type of engagement you need to create, and, most importantly, how much time and energy you can afford to invest to reach your objectives."
Lesson: Align Your Objectives
3. Twistory 101: It's All About Small Business
Author: John Battelle, Searchblog
Way back in 2004, while the world watched Google steal Yahoo's search market share, "the real drama was happening on the business side." Specifically, the number of small business advertisers using AdSense over Overture was rapidly increasing, and this made the difference for Google.
Battelle suggests that Twitter is taking a step in the right direction with their new business.twitter.com site, and especially their Twitter 101 handbook, by helping small businesses to use and leverage the site.
Lesson: Small Businesses Can Equal Big Business For You
4. The Flaw In Calculating Inbound v. Outbound Marketing
Author: Trish Bertuzzi, The Bridge Group, Inc.
In her post, Bertuzzi addresses the following issue: "Are we getting so caught up in the inbound v. outbound debate that we are forgetting the basics of good old fashioned human interaction? "
She points out that no matter your thoughts on the inbound v. outbound issue, the important part is the interaction with the customer, everything else should come second.
Lesson: Interact First, Analyze Later
5. Small Business Marketing: 5 Rules of Great Content
Author: Suzanne Vara
Everyone talks about content. Make it relevant, make it thoughtful, and make it fresh. But sometimes people get caught up in the content of the content and forget about the basics.
Vara discusses some simple rules that can make sure your content doesn't get lost in translation. No matter how brilliant your ideas, you better be logical, clear and grammatically correct, or no one is going to want to read it.
Lesson: Reread, Revise, Rewrite
Photo Credit: Ben Donley
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