For Steve:

As I attempt to address questions friends continue to present me about SEO and digital marketing, I am drawn back to my roots as a history major in college and a question we were always forced to ask. Simply put, what are the consequences of their actions.

Recently I worked with a gentleman who is the owner and operator of a small construction firm working out of central New Jersey. With a staff of about twenty and an ever increasing client pool he wanted to create a website to give his company greater digital visibility. Like most small start ups the budget is limited and the vision is grand. We did have the use of a professional coder who was willing to work with us to create a manageable site that roughly fit his vision though the turn around time was lengthy and commitment was a concern.

Since the gentleman's time was limited and manpower was in short supply I suggested that we forget about SEO tactics and simply concern ourselves with the crafting of a marketable message and assuring that the content was strong enough to support it. This is tougher than it sounds. The larger the firm the smaller this obstacle is to navigate. Much like being in the Army, when there is a battalion marching everyone knows which direction to face. When there is only two of you, things can get tricky.

This being the case we took an approach that served everyone well. And should you find yourself in this situation, here is what I learned.

1) Keep it simple.

By no means when I say this should your site look remedial. Choose
your design work with care and precision. Colors should match. Language (tense) should remain constant. But the ability to navigate your site should be intuitive. The message should be direct. And most importantly, the sites up keep should be made as manageable as possible. Should several days or even weeks sneak by with out attending to the site, there should be no visible evidence of such neglect.

2)Stay on message.

Once the creative process begins there is no limit to the number of directions it may take you. This is both a positive and negative item. Although creative ingenuity is always welcome, for those just beginning stick with what has been tested and proved. Steer clear of gimmicks or being too original. People at this level what to create relationships based on trust not flash. You may only have one chance to make an impression, so make the right one.

2b)

In order to ensure that we stayed on message we agreed on a silent pitch. By this I mean that we wanted to quietly demonstrate that the services being provided were superior based on accumulated experience and attention to detail. We made sure that every piece of copy was composed to reinforce this message. Again this sounds simple in theory but can become difficult when being put into practice.

3)Have fun.

Once you have selected a template for your site and there is continuity between the pages, have fun. Language is like music and is to be played with and then played with some more. Allow yourself the ability to go back and change the wording (copy) as much as you want. As long as the message is the same how you deliver that message is up to you. If your smiling when you write the text, then chances are the potential consumer will be smiling when they read the text. This is the digital age and freedom to innovate and change is its signature.



So as you begin to create your first site let some of these lessons float to the surface now and again, and soon you will be on your way to a page-rank of 10.

New Media in a New World

Digital marketing is not for the faint of heart. It is a tough industry that demands constant attention and tremendous creativity. The slightest misplaced colon could spell disaster for a project that took six months to create. But like all great ventures the reward for a innovative and popular campaign is incalculable. As the Web2.o wagon roles on we are learning that digital marketing is the most efficient and effective way to manage your brand while reaching the most desirable audience. With the appropriate metrics in place a strong marketing team can cut through the jungle that is the internet and deliver quantifiable results on a consistent basis.

At this point we all have heard of if not already utilize Web favorites MySpace and YouTube. Facebook is soo '06 by now and I am willing to guess most of us already check in on the Drudge Report once or twice a day. Don't even get me started with Wikipedia (More to follow on this topic).

New Media encompasses all of these adventures as well as countless more. So this means that behind every Podcast and RSS feed is the chance to reinforce your brand and reach a new client base. I know so far I haven't provided much of a road map for success but I just want you to begin to get the idea that in the New World of New Media we are only limited by the disitance of our own vision.

The Whos and Whats:

After spending a considerable amount of time working in New Media for a midsized full service interactive agency based out of the New York Metro area as well as working with small start ups helping to build content and create copy I am prepared to shed a little insight in to what my experiences have taught me. The rest are my professional opinions and visions as well as a brief idea of where I believe the digital landscape is heading.

So sit back and enjoy and please feel free to drop a line if you disagree with anything (or everything) I say. Just remember I do love the smell of Napalm in the morning, it reminds me of coffee.

Mission Statement

Over the last few weeks and months I have ran into old friends and made new contacts in what could be considered the traditional Public Relations vertical. The majority of my conversations always arrive at the point in which I must awkwardly fumble through a brief description of what it is I do for a living. Most often I am greeted with quizzical looks of confusion and an overall general glaze takes hold of who I am speaking with. At first I just thought I made for lousy conversation, but quickly realized that the majority of the population has no idea of what constitutes New Media and how best to effectively use it. So in an attempt to address many questions without too great a degree of redundancy, I am going to quickly sum of what it is I am involved with and why it is important.