Social Media Archive

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of appearing on King 5 TV’s New Day NW chat show and was quizzed by the fabulous Margaret Larson on what makes social media activity engaging and how to gain more followers.

The eight-and-a-half minutes went super-quickly but we got good feedback from people who saw it live and on Twitter & Facebook that I’d struck the right balance (didn’t get too techy) and got the authenticity message across well.

Take a peek at the recording by clicking here and let me know what you think.

Below are a few more pictures of the studio before we went on air, a Green Room shot of me and PNW gardening legend, Ciscoe Morris, and pics sent to me by friends!

This article has been cross posted from the Delightful Blog:

Some of you might know that one of my many Delightful hats is actually more of a crown.

A Majestic SEO crown.

For over a year now, I’ve been lucky enough to act as Brand Ambassador for Majestic here in the USA, and speak at conferences about their incredible “big data” toolset.

My remit is to help broaden the audience for the brand and get other digital marketers enthused about getting smart with link data and using it for more than just SEO (search engine optimization).

I’ve done a couple of presentations this year and a couple of blog posts too about how best to use what Majestic has to offer, and on Friday 6th December at 9.30am PST (5.30pm GMT) I’ll be delivering a webinar on how businesses can use their tools for influencer discovery, digital PR and competitive analysis.

If you’re interested in hearing some top tips, feel free to register for FREE below:

Beyond SEO – Loving Link Data for Social Media Digital PR and More

If you know anyone in PR or social media that you think might benefit from a talk like this, please share this post!

Now smashing through the five million views barrier on YouTube in just a couple of weeks, is a spot from Richard Branson’s Virgin America that (successfully) hopes to entertain and make the whole safety video thing a little more lean forward than go on auto-snooze.

I’m always insisting that companies need to do a little marketing that’s unexpected, and although this is spot on for the kind of thing you might expect from Virgin, the fact that it’s about something as serious as aviation safety, just gives it that extra little edge.

I’ve never flown Virgin (and I’ve just got Gold MVP on Alaska Airlines so I might not get to try them in the short term), but this should keep their passengers happy and smiling for a while.

Wonder how long it will be before they gives us the next version?

I’m at the BOLO 2013 conference in Scottsdale right now and apparently the first ever display advertising banner that hit the web was for AT&T and it went live in 1994 designed by Joe McCambley from The Wonderfactory.

See the ad here on Mashable.

Really great event down here in the sun. I’m blogging from HubComms so trot over there to see what everyone had to say!

I wrote about the great experience we had at TEDxSeattle the other day and now the videos are up on YouTube!

This was one of the entertainment highlights of the day for me that the assembled throng marveled at and gave the first standing ovation to.

Jarle Bernhoft  is from Norway and generates the most incredible “retro-soul” sound as a one-man-band through great playing and a clever sequencing of beats, notes and crisp, clear vocals.

Jarle Bernhoft  Lost in Music

Stop whatever you are doing and spend the next 12.32 minutes watching this incredible performance.

Click Here if you can’t play the video above.

Exactly one year ago I wrote this.

A day later I called up Matt McGowan to get some advice (and a pep talk) and the guy was so generous with his time (and a free ticket to the SES digital marketing conference in San Francisco the following month) that that conversation has been etched in my memory ever since as a pivotal moment in me deciding to set up my own company.

I first met Matt in 2008 back in my Microsoft adCenter days at the SES conference in London and have got to know him, not just industry colleague but as friend. You know, that smart funny guy you make a beeline for across an expo hall at drinky time? That guy who’ll always make time to chat even though you can see he has a million things going on on the first day of a conference.

Today I’m kind of repaying Matt’s generosity that day we chatted after I’d been laid off from exactly 7 years at Microsoft, by publishing this interview with him about his recent amicable departure from the Incisive fold.

You see, Matt is one of the REALLY nice guys in search and social who has helped companies build their brands and individuals make names for themselves, but he’s always done it without so much of a toot of his own horn.

Always found rushing about at conferences with his phone clamped to his head fielding calls, fixing things, making connections and organizing great nights out after the expo halls went dark, he’s done it all with good humour and an endearing self-effacing nature.

When I spoke to him yesterday about his recent resignation from Incisive Media, he said he didn’t want to make a fuss. But I suggested that he’d touched so many careers in his tenure at Incisive that people would want to know what happened AND that he might have some advice for us all from lessons learned from his global business experience.

The resulting interview is below. Take a read, know he’s “all good” (as is often used to describe a positive outlook on like in the US of A), and maybe learn a few things….

So what’s the story Matt? 30^th of June was your last day at Incisive? What happened?

After 7 years (to the day) Incisive Media and I came to a formal agreement that allowed me out of my day to day operational responsibilities at the company.  This development was triggered by my decision to want and try something new, and it fit well with Incisive Media’s mid and long term plans.  My decision to resign my role was not an easy one as my former team and the business I was responsible for are absolutely fantastic and extremely important to me.

The digital landscape has changed dramatically since I started with Incisive Media back in June 2006 and I plan on taking the summer and fall off to explore new opportunities.

So nothing sinister right? You’re leaving on good terms?

Only the best. Tim Weller, CEO at Incisive Media and who founded the business with James Hanbury and Nick Rapley, and his team and I are on fantastic terms – which was extremely important to me. After 7 years the team at Incisive Media feels like, is, family and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. 

And what about Search Engine Watch and ClickZ? They’re still carrying on their great work right?

ClickZ.com, SearchEngineWatch.com and the global SES Conference and Expo Series are in the best of hands. It is sometimes forgotten by many in the industry that these brands have been under the tutelage of Mike Grehan, Publisher of Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Portfolio, and his team for much of that last year. Moreover, Mike has been with the company for over 5 years. It’s safe to say he knows the business intimately.

If you don’t know Mike? He wrote one of the first books on Search Engine Marketing (and currently writing his next), he is an expert on information retrieval, has been cited many times in mainstream and industry press, and speaks at many events including invite-only internal events at some the largest players in the space. I have the utmost confidence in Mike and his team’s skills and their dedication to excellence.  

What were the most valuable lessons learned from your 7 years at Incisive?

Tough question… though something I look forward to thinking more about it this summer as I take some time to decompress, understand what it is I have accomplished, what it is that motivates me, and what it is I want to do next.

Some early thoughts include and please remember its only been two weeks since I resigned my role as Managing Director of Incisive Media’s North and South America business and the global Interactive Marketing:

1. Lead by example.
2. Be honest with yourself, you team, and your clients/customers.
3. Deal with problems immediately, before they snowball. 
4. Ask lots of questions. 
5. Leave you pride at the door (you can learn something from everyone, have the strength to listen).
6. A clear corporate communication strategy is vital. 
7. Believe in the work you do, your reputation is defined by it (that and how you treat others).
8. Be good to people –> it takes a village.   
9. Don’t forget to thank your family for their support, it is invaluable. 

Legendary night out in Macau after SES Hong Kong with Bill Hunt, Lee Odden, Aaron Kahlow and Brent Payne

What’s next?

It is an exciting world we live in.  Digital is quickly becoming ubiquitous, and with that opportunities abound.  I am looking more at those area’s that are in the state of disruption than those that are crowded and selling based on some optimization. In that vein, and in order to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground while I look for full time employment, I have accepted advisory positions with:

– The Online Marketing Institute, which is catering to the knowledge sharing and level setting needs of the online marketing and advertising industry (education and helping marketer’s do their jobs better has defined my career this last decade);

– Web Congress, an event business that serves mostly a hispanic and latino audience, is dedicated to education, and is based in one of my favorite favorite cities, Barcelona;

-  BtoBeacon, a recently launched resource working to define and educate the BtoB marketing industry;

and of course…

-  Incisive Media, where I am now an advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors with no operational responsibility. 

Where can you be contacted if a reader wants to tap into your vast knowledge?!

If you have ideas for me or just want to talk marketing, advertising, and technology please do get in touch…

Twitter –> @Matt_McGowan

LinkedIn –> McGowan

Google+ –> Matt McGowan

Please join me in thanking Matt and wishing him every success in the next leg of his professional jaunt in digital!

It’s less than month until all the entries for the highly coveted US Search Awards need to be in on 19th July!

I’m a judge on the panel representing sponsors Majestic SEO, and having judged a few awards before have a few opinions on how submissions should be made that maximize the chances of making the cut and eventually winning a gong!

Thankfully the organizers have beaten me to writing about it and provided some advice that I am sharing below.

Take onboard these best practices and you’ll be well on the way to Vegas baby!

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When writing an award entry it’s difficult to assess how the entry will be perceived, so how to make an entry stand out and simply what the judges are looking for?

Here are five great tips for entering this year’s US Search Awards.

Don’t miss your opportunity to enter your fantastic work in Search, PPC and by entering it into the US Search Awards – entries are now open and you have until July 19^th to enter.

Step 1: Simple

It may sound obvious but sometimes simple is best. Judges have many categories to peruse over and if your entry is full of ‘fluff’ and extra information that has to be waded through – you’re making their job difficult. Make sure your awards entry is clear and concise.

Step 2: SMART

It can often be difficult to assess what came next when objectives are written in a pitchy matter. An easy way to set out your objectives in your Search entry is to think of the mnemonic, SMART, this way it is clear to the judges what the objectives are:

– Simple

– Measurable

– Achievable

– Realistic

– Timely

If an awards entry is award winning the clarity is often the key – with the story being concise, coherent and ultimately convincing.

Step 3: Clear ROI

An award-winning entry is one that exceeds initial objectives. ROI is what you are being measured on – so if you want to be commended for your campaigns – you need to make sure you prove your ROI is strong. However, it is not always big figures that impress because it throws into question how much it cost to achieve those results. Some of the most impressive ROI figures are from relatively low –budget campaigns.

Step 4: Innovation

Creative, Innovation and intuition are three key elements which judges really take notice of when assessing award entries. What makes your campaign special? It is great to see campaigns that have, in some way, shape or form, pushed boundaries and are therefore different to other campaigns which have been seen before. If your campaign has a sense of pushing the Search industry forward, with brand new ideas and thoughts – this will set your entry apart from others.

Step 5: Presentation

To make a good first impression it is important that the small things count when writing your award entry.

A first point about an award entry presentation is that all entries should be well written, spelling mistakes look sloppy and lazy. A suggestion would be to write your entry in bullet points to break the content up and make it easier for the judges to read.

Finally, the award categories are now open for entries for the US Search Awards – view them here.

The deadline for award entries is: Friday 19^th July 2013

Good Luck and get entering!

Just over 3 years ago my wife and I got the fabulous news that her sister Colleen had gone in to labour.

We were living in London at the time, so the anxious wait to see what Colleen and her husband Josh had produced – boy or girl – was exacerbated by the 8 hour time difference.

Colleen and Josh’s Miracle

When the phone eventually rang, we found out that there were complications.

Colleen had given birth to a beautiful baby girl they had called Julia, but Julia had inhaled meconium and had been rushed to Children’s  Hospital in Seattle to be hooked up to an ECMO machine, a piece of (very expensive) apparatus that was helps make the heart and lungs work when using a ventilator has failed.

I won’t dwell on the ensuing 18 days (many more than most patients spend hooked up to the machine) but suffice to say a true miracle happened.

Julia, slowly but surely, started to pull through.

Julia On The Mend

Soon she was off the machine, home and happy after some amazing care from Children’s and of course, her amazing, strong and doting parents.

But one of the side effects of time spent on ECMO can be deafness. And after a few weeks it became clear after extensive testing that Julia was deaf in one ear and she could lose all sense of hearing at any time.

It’s one thing as parents to have been through the trauma of nearly losing your child, but to have your child that was so strong to pull  through run the risk of losing a vital sense completely, was the catalyst for them to seek out specialist help and support.

They found it at HSDC – the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center – in Seattle.

Julia signing “I Love You!”

Like clockwork once every couple of weeks for one-to-one time during the first couple of years, and every Monday night and the odd weekend since, Julia and family have attended classes and spent time with other children and families who are valiantly learning to live with, and overcome issues associated with the kind of difficulties hearing loss can bring.

But much of that time has been a celebration; a celebration of Julia’s resilience, fabulous personality and the fact that she has NOT had any further hearing loss.

Julia Graduates The HSDC Infant Program Aged 3

A couple of months ago we celebrated her turning 3 and graduating from the HSDC infant program, a proud moment for the whole family.

Julia with my Daughter, Maggie (Such a Fabulous Big Cousin)

So now Colleen and Josh have asked us to give a little back.

So next week we all fun run for HSDC in the Leaping for Literacy fundraising event that the whole family is participating in. Even Maggie (not even 2) is determined to get through the 5K course.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of so many, we’re already two thirds towards our target of $1000, but I think, through the power of social media we could hit that number and then some.

So please, click on this link and pledge some cash to the amazing work that HSDC does to help children like Julia.

Here’s the link again just incase you missed it.

Please donate and help other children with communication disabilities and share Julia’s story as inspiration for others.

Thank You So MUCH!

Occasionally I get asked if I know anyone who might fit a particular role a friend is looking to fill at their company.

Today, that company is Starbucks!

The have a social media job going as Digital &Social Media Specialist based in Chiswick in the UK.

The blurb:

Starbucks has an exciting opportunity for a Digital & Social Media Specialist to help support the growth and success of Starbucks digital activity in the UK. The Digital & Social Media Specialist will build, maintain and activate engaged social communities, help develop and execute digital marketing campaigns, and manage content across the Starbucks web and mobile properties.

They also say it’s a: rare, high profile opportunity for an individual with a clear passion for digital and social. Which I tend to agree with, so if you think you’re a good fit, or you know someone who maybe, apply or ask them to apply online at LinkedIn and let me know you’ve done so.

Knowing the digital guys at the head office in Seattle, rest assured you’ll be in great hands and learn a ton!

Jolly good luck!

It’s been a little over 6 months since I started Delightful Communications and I’ve now managed to collate a healthy dose of client testimonials to add to my site.

Thanks for the kind words to, among others, Faye Sealy from Efesse Business Solutions, Dixon Jones from Majestic SEO and Gina Raebel from go-today for their time in putting their thoughts on my services down in an email.

Really appreciate it and everyone’s continued support.

Here’s to another successful 6!