Scrappy Marketing Solutions Blog

More on Social Media Marketing: 100 Blog Topics

Major Blogging Resource Alert - Chris Brogan has compiled a list of 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write. 

People often ask me how I come up with things to blog about, and I find the question strange, because my problem is the opposite. I have too much to blog about.

...I decided to write you up 100 blog post titles that I want YOU to write. Take one of these and run with it. Make the coolest ideas from whatever these spark in you, and keep coming back to these as often as you want. Bookmark the page. Copy/paste it into a notepad file. Whatever works for you. Or just use them as a way to bounce into better posts of your own devise. Make podcasts. Whatever works for you.

And may I say...I hope you write about these topics too!  I'd love to see the scrapbook (marketing) community attack these topics, and put their own niche-y spin on them. 

You could also spin the topic to showcase how you see others approaching the topic.  The first topic Chris lists is "How I Use Facebook".  I recently wrote a post on how several scrapbooking professionals are using Facebook: Using Facebook to Promote Your Scrapbooking Business.  Other topics from Chris' list you could use in a "spotlight" fashion:

• Somebody Has to Say It [then say who said it!]
• Books I Want to Write [tweak it to "Books I Wish I Had Written"]
• Sharing and Contributing [point out who you think is particularly good at this]
• Empower Your Best Customers [what scrapbook businesses are adept at empowering their customers?  And how?]

I'd love to see your spins on these topics!  I'd also love to see a similar list - what do you wish scrapbook bloggers would address in blog posts?

Kudos and a Scrappy Marketer's Hat Tip to Chris for compiling this list and challenging the blogosphere to get posting!

Social Network Marketing Example: PostSecret

No matter what you think of the blog concept or the secrets posted there, PostSecret provides a good example of marketing via Facebook.

Down at the bottom of their blog homepage is a link:

See 15 more secrets - join the facebook page.

The "ethical bribe" of seeing 15 more postcards sends traffic to their Facebook page, where they can see said postcards in the Fresh Secrets photo album.

I think it's interesting to see how people market via Facebook - market as an active verb, moreso than just "having a Facebook presence".  Personally, I'd like to see more examples of Facebook-exclusive content, such as events, or discussions, or chats.  Second Life is home to many such branded events, even live music concerts and teleseminars; I would think the same could happen on Facebook (well, maybe not the concerts). 

Are any of you seeing such events/offerings?  How else do you think scrapbook marketers could be using Facebook?  What ethical bribe could you offer via Facebook?  An exclusive download link?  Content available only via Friend communication blasts?  What do you think?

Finding Free Press Release Distribution Sites

A client recently asked me if I had any recommendations for free press release distribution sites, so I thought I'd share my answer here:

You can try http://i-newswire.com or http://www.prlog.org/ - I have seen scrapbooking press releases there, but have not used either of them myself.  I have really only used PRWeb, because I get consistent results from them.

Mashable.com compiled a list of 21 sites with free distribution - worth a look-see!  20+  Free Press Release Distribution Sites.

I also advised her that any release should be submitted to me - Scrapbooking Industry News is probably the easiest free distribution you can get for this market!  :)

Using Facebook to Promote Your Scrapbooking Business

Though Facebook has been around since 2004, I continue to see people joining it all the time.  The digital scrapbooking community particularly has a growing presence (not really surprising, as digi-scrappers would be drawn to the virtual community features).  What I also see is people using Facebook to help promote their businesses.  A recent article on Techdirt highlights different ways businesses can use Facebook as a promotional tool: Facebook Can Be Fun, But It's Also Useful.

I think it's a mistake to discount how useful [Facebook] can be. In my experience the most useful features are not the add-on applications but the basic features built into Facebook itself.

The article goes on to mention specific Facebook features that have promotional uses, such as Facebook groups, photo albums, and event invitations.  I have seen several of my Facebook "friends" use these tools to promote their scrapbooking businesses.

A number of digital designers and digital scrapbooking communities have created Groups to promote their interests - Groups allow you to send mass emails (or "Notifications") out to Group members.  Personally, I'd like so see some local scrapbooking stores, or "traditional" scrapbooking manufacturers create Groups, and use them to post content, such as projects or tutorials.  Then they could send out Notifications that the content was available.

Digital Scrapbooking magazine (link: Facebook group profile) issued an Event Invitation to the CHA Summer Show.  While they are not hosting the actual trade show in July in Chicago (the Craft & Hobby Association is), they used Facebook's Event feature to invite 319 members of their Facebook group to the event.  That nicely ties their magazine's name and brand to the event.

Jessica Sprague (link: Facebook profile), a digital scrapbooking expert and instructor, created a Facebook Page for her Digital Scrapbooking Online Classes.  Then she added photos of layout examples from the classes to the Page.  When you create a Page, that allows you to "Share" the Page's content with your Facebook "Friends".  Those Friends can also become a "Fan" of your Page.  Things you are a Fan of show up on your profile, which just helps spread Jessica's message virally.

Jeanine Baechtold added the Blog RSS Feed Reader application to her profile, and added the feed for the Kristy Valshan blog (she is the "Kristy" half of the company).  This automatically updates her Facebook profile with the latest posts from the company blog.  That allows a little more "mileage" for the blog, within the Facebook community.

What about you?  How have you seen businesses (scrapbooking and non-) promote themselves on Facebook?  What Facebook features do you think haven't been used to their full promotional potential?  How would you like to see Facebook used as a promotional tool?

And while I'm on the subject of Facebook, I might as well post the link to the Page for Scrappy Marketing Solutions:

Blog Marketing: Blog Your Event

Here's a great example of a blog promoting an event: NGS 2008 Genealogical Conference Blog.

This blog promotes the 2008 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States and Family History Fair by highlighting different speakers and sponsors.  Not only does this give blog readers a taste of what they would find at the event, but it also offers insight into the expertise of their speakers.  Highlight posts point out the speakers' history, accomplishments, and memberships - all of which point to their expertise, enticing readers to come check out their presentations.

I also like that the blog provides prominent links to conference registration and hotel reservations - both "above the fold" (before readers have to scroll down to access more content).

A Scrappy Marketer's Hat Tip to local hosts of the NGS Conference!

Rubber Duck Blogging: How to Decide What to Blog About

A question I frequently hear at blogging class is, "What do/should I blog about?"  I usually tell blog students to write about whatever they're working on professionally - what's currently keeping them busy in their business. (Well, there's a bit more to it than that, but that's basically it.)  A recent blog post by Denise Wakeman offers another metaphor: How to Build A Better Blog: Writing Blog Content.

Here at SOBCon08, Chris Garrett spoke about creating content for your blog and blogging efficiency. He mentioned something called Rubber Ducking which I had never heard of.

It goes like this:

You say out loud, to a rubber duck, "I want to write about ________ and this is important because _______."

While I can't say I've ever explained myself to a rubber duck, it does provide a valuable exercise.  If you can explain why a blog topic is important to a rubber duck (or other inanimate object, or an imaginary friend, or whomever...), then you solidify in your own mind why you are writing about it, and its value to your audience.  This mindset will help guide your writing and the points you make in your post.

This actually brings to mind some advice a former English teacher gave me about writing book reports - pretend you're telling a friend about the book.  How would you describe what happened in the book to your friend? 

Explaining something to a friend encourages a casual tone, which can help words flow.  A casual tone is also desirable in blog posts.  Explaining something to a friend outside your niche can also help you determine what verbiage is 'jargon' (known usually only in your industry), and what concepts may need a little explanation.  For example, someone outside the scrapbooking industry - or Mr. Ducky - would have no idea what CHA is, or the role it plays in our industry.  The same may be true of many scrapbooking consumers, who don't have a professional role in the industry.  So explaining that CHA stands for Craft & Hobby Association, which hosts two large trade shows each year - shows that act as the launching points for new products and are hotbeds of industry trends - would be helpful for readers who aren't involved in the business side of crafts.

The more you explain, the more of an expert you appear to be.  And Mr. Ducky might be suitably impressed, and tell all of his ducky friends to waddle right over to do business with you.