Online Marketing Studio

With the announcement last week of the new iPad 3, Apple also introduced a new version of Garageband for the iPad. For those of you not familiar with Garageband, it is a simple yet powerful music and audio production software tool that's been available on the Mac for several years.Garageband is loved by both musicians and podcasters because of its simplistic user interface, yet advanced capabilities. Want to burn a single track and email to your friend - no problem. Want to record 8-tracks with both live and MIDI instruments with complex effects and save to your iPad? No problem.The beauty of Garageband on the iPad is that you'll now be able to do all of this on the go, with great battery life and the ability for sync your GB file tracks back to your Mac for editing and final mixdown. That's pretty appealing.The latest version of Garageband now let's you export your recordings to Facebook and SoundCloud - two potential opportunities for podcasters. Of course, neither of these solutions publishes to the public iTunes feed, but it's a step in the right direction.So if you want to podcast, I suppose you could setup a SoundCloud account and use Garageband to do that. Personally, I like my podcasts on iTunes so people can subscribe to them. That's why I created Mobile Podcaster. If you have an iPad or iPhone, you should check that out.

For those of you using Facebook to market your business with a Facebook Page, it's important to create a custom Facebook username so that you can effectively advertise you Page offline.Once you have 25 fans on your Page go to facebook.com/username to select your custom URL. Please note that once you select a name it can never be changed, so please take a minute to choose wisely. Now when you advertise your Page you can use the custom URL rather than just saying "Find us on Facebook."Listen or DownloadUse the new custom URL in print, business cards and your email signature. Enjoy!

"Press This" is a great WordPress tool that allows you to easily capture content from a third party website and quote that content in your blog post. This greatly increases your efficiency if you regularly quote content from other sites on your blog.Listen or Download The "Press This" function allows quick publishing with a special web browser bookmarklet. You can create a post by quoting some text, images, and videos on any web page.via Press This « WordPress Codex. Press This comes loaded with every Wordpress installation and can easily be added as a link in your browser toolbar by going to your WP administration dashboard. From the dashboard go to the tools menu on the left hand side and you will see the Press This tool listed. Use your mouse and click to drag the Press This link from the page up into you your browser toolbar.Now when you visit a website and would like to quote something from that site just click on the Press This link in your browser toolbar and a new Wordpress post window will open up.It's as easy as that.

Wordpress tags are an often overlooked option when publishing a new blog post. Based on some questions I heard this morning, it's clear that there is some misunderstanding about the use of Tags and why they'll important to the overall long-term health of you blog.Listen or Download3 Reasons Wordpress Tags are ImportantTags are similar to the index at the end of a book. They help the reader find specific keywords hidden through your blog. Even better, they help readers find all the posts that are related to a particular Tag. Tags are great for search engine optimization, since every tag creates a new url or page within your site that Google and other search engines may index. Tags are also good for creating sub-categories around a niche topic. For example you may have a cooking category and several posts tagged as "breakfast". Each tag has it's own RSS feed, so you could use this to either target subscribers or submit your RSS feed to niche 3rd party sites.How are you using tags?

Facebook Pages are a great way to engage your target market online and here are two great tactics to more specifically target individual users or groups within your niche.Listen or Download Mentions in Facebook Page Updates Mentioning others in your Facebook Page updates is a great way to gain significant exposure for  your page.  If the other Page's setting include "Others" then your update will appear on their Page.  Why is this so special?  Because most folks don't know this is possible and simply put comments on other Pages' Walls using their personal profile - not good if your running a business Facebook Page marketing campaign.1. Become a Fan or Like another page in which you would like to get some exposure2. In your Facebook Page update use the "@" symbol and pick the name of that Page (or individual) from the dropdown menu that appears3. Write something flattering or worthy of sharing.  You do not want to spam the other Page.  If you write something nice that their followers find valuable then it's a win-win situation.4. Depending on the setup used by the target Page, your update will either appear directly on their Wall or in a hidden portion of their Wall.  To see posts by "others" click on the "filter" link at the top of the Wall. Geo-targeting in Facebook Page Updates Geo-targeting is great if you have a broad audience but would only like to speak to a specific portion.  For example, you may have a shipping offer only good in the US or a discount only for Chicago residents.  Facebook lets you specify who will see you update based on location and language.  Very powerful stuff!To do this simply select the "Custom"  link in the lower right hand corner of the update field next to the Share button.  Input your Location and/or Language criteria and that's it.  Enjoy!Any other tips you have for targeting specific users with Facebook Pages?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

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Podcasting on your blog and iTunes is a great way to reach your market and the iPad makes it easy.  Check out the Related Posts below for more details on how this is done.Listen or Download

It's finally here ... Mobile Podcaster. Since January 2011 I've been podcasting on from my iPad and publishing to Wordpress and iTunes without ever touching my blog or a computer. It's a really awesome system.  I'm really proud of it and it's now available for you too, so if you're interested check out Mobile Podcaster.Here’s an EXAMPLE of a recent podcast episode recorded and published from my iPad without ever touching my computer. This was recorded on my iPad using the Samson CO1U USB Condenser Microphone with the iPad camera connection kit.Mobile Podcaster is an iPhone app that allows you to podcast from your iPad or iPhone and publish to your WordPress website and iTunes.Recording and Creating a Podcast on my iPad with Mobile Podcaster The iPad serves many purposes, but for me it's about marketing and finding new and different ways to leverage mobile technology to grow my business and engage my market online. New media has been especially interesting and I've confirmed the iPad is great for recording audio to create podcast episodes which can translate into new Wordpress blog posts.Audio is a great format to communicate with your readers for several reasons:audio blog posts are much faster to produce audio blog posts do not require extensive editing you can easily set up a separate RSS feed for audio posts and let readers subscribe via iTunes (see my sidebar) audio blog posts can be created while driving - much like talking on the phone audio blog posts are great for interviewing people audio blog posts are a great way to differentiate your blog and add varietyMy solution using Mobile Podcaster satisfies the following criteria:post audio to Wordpress from my iPhone without logging into Wordpress blog posts must contain a flash audio player that is user friendly for desktop users blog posts must contain a direct link to the raw mp3 file so that audio is mobile friendly audio posts must publish automatically without any further editing or logging into Wordpress Any social networking notifications stem from my blog and direct users to my site, not some 3rd party site. 

As many know, Google Reader is one of my favorite tools to help establish yourself as a market leader online.  In this audio post I discuss the 4 ways Google Reader can help you track your industry, engage your market and monitor your brand.Listen or DownloadFour advantages of Google ReaderAbility to track your industry by subscribing to popular blogs or RSS feeds that contain the latest news, trends and product information Ability to share information with your social network via share button, shared custom Google Reader RSS feed or email link Ability to save searches from Twitter to easily identify opportunity to engage with people asking for help on topics you understand Ability to track mentions of you, your company, your brand or your products and service so you can jump in the conversation early and often.How do you use Google Reader?  What other online tools do you use to accomplish these or similar tasks?

Listen or Download: Setting SMART GoalsSetting SMART goals is a proven approach to achieving success more quickly.  As 2009 winds down, this is the perfect opportunity to examine your goals for 2010 and apply the SMART mnemonic or acronym to increa...

Starting a podcast is easier than ever these days.  You can use some of the free tools that come with virtually every computer these days or make a few modest purchases to improve the quality of your podcast.  I recommend you focus on content creation before buying a bunch of unnecessary equipment.Here's are some of the basic elements to consider when launching a podcast for the first time:What is a podcast? There's some argument over where the term came from and who produced the first podcast, but i use the definition: audio & video "portable on demand".  Essentially, this includes new media content that's available for consumption in iTunes (or another leading podcast hub), directly on your website, or via a mobile device, such as the iPhone.What microphone should I use for my podcast? Since a podcast obviously involves audio communication, I recommend you use the best quality microphone you can afford or one that at least offers a level of quality your listeners will find acceptable.  I've done podcast episodes using my Mac internal mic and my iphone, but when I'm in the office I use the Samson CO1U USB Condenser Mic.(aff)Where should I deliver my podcast? Any website or blog can have its own podcast.  By definition, a podcast doesn't need to be on iTunes so don't let that misconception stop you from publishing audio content.  For example, sign up with AudioBoo and record a show - then paste the html or script into a blog post or a web page.  This is an example of a very simple approach.  You could also set up a Wordpress blog, install one of many podcast plugings, and upload audio files from your computer.  I prefer to use the Podcasting plugin, but there are several other Wordpress plugins available.Can I podcast from my iPhonee or iPad? Yes, you can with the Mobile Podcaster iPhone App.What should I say on my podcast? All of us have something to say; however, podcasting is not for everyone.  My suggestion is that you find a subject you are passionate about and make a list of potential topics you could discuss.  What are the top 5 questions people ask you about your topic?  What are the top 5 questions they should be asking?  There's content for 10 episodes right there.Should I do all the talking on my podcast? Some podcasts are run by a single person who does all the talking, while others are two or more people engaged in a conversation.  Some are discussion style, while others are more of an interview.  It really depends on your subject, what you have to share personally and who else you know that can help liven up the discussion.  Ask your listeners what's working for them and change as needed.Is there a show format I should follow? I recommend you establish a consistent format or ageneda for your podcast episodes or shows.  The reason is that a consistent format puts the listeners at ease and builds a certain level of expectation over time.  For example: 1)intro music 2) introduction 3) topic one 4) topic two 5) pick of the week 6) closing remarks with call to action and 7)closing music.  That's just an example -- the possibilities are unlimited.What file format should I use for my podcast? MP3 is the most widely accepted audio file format, but most podcasting hosts will accept a variety of file formats.How do I get my podcast on iTunes and how much does it cost? Podcast distribution on iTunes is free.  Just be sure you're using the correct RSS format.  To learn more open iTunes and go to Store>Podcasts>Submit a Podcast.  You may also have readers subscribe to you podcast through iTunes without actually publishing to iTunes.  Of course, this does not make your podcast available to the general public but is a convenience.How to Podcast with Garageband and Publish on iTunesAre you thinking of starting a podcast?  What's holding you back?  Is there something I can help clarify to get you started?

Listen or DownloadIn this audio I post I discuss the challenge of managing multiple day-to-day responsibilities vs. the opportunity to create unique and compelling content for your readers.  The realty is that created content should be your #1 priority in terms of Internet Marketing.  Everything else is secondary - not becuase it's not important, but simply because content is proven as the leading tactic to engage your audience online.The challenge is to find a schedule with which to post new content on a regular basis.  It's easier than ever these days to quickly produce and publish audio, video, images and text-based blog posts, but many folks simply can't find the time or don't have the right tools to make it easy and effective.For me, it's about publishing at least one blog post everyday and allocating a few hours once a week to tweak my site.  What's your strategy?  What's working for you?

Listen or DownloadUpcoming events are a great opportunity for you to leverage keywords related to that event and drive SEO traffic to your blog.If you can, research an event within your niche and identify 2-3 long-tail keyword phrases that a potential reader might use to search for information on Google.  Write a few blog posts about the event and use these keywords in your title, post text, meta keywords, and meta description.  Follow up your post with a link in Twitter, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon and your other favorite social media and bookmarking sites.In my experience, if there is little competition for the event I can usually score a top 3 position in Google if I choose my keywords correctly.  There are several tools to conduct keyword research, but I suggest starting with Google Keyword Tool to familiarize yourself on the topic.Although events come and go, the benefit of optimizing for them is the ability to attract new followers within your niche.  Give it a try - it's actually a bit fun.What's your experience leveraging events to drive SEO traffic to your blog?  Any success or other tips to share?

Listen or DownloadIn this audio post I discuss Ustream.tv and the new opportunities available to reach your market in a new and exciting way through video.Ustream has been around for years but many businesses have yet to grasp the potential.  Basically, Ustream offers the ability to broadcast live video over the Internet in a controlled, yet open platform.  Viewers may interact through a closed chat feature or through the new built-in Twitter feed.  Live broadcasts may be recorded and saved for future playback.Obviously, the implications of this are huge in terms of market reach and differentiation for your business.  Consumers are ready for this new media and comfortable consuming content in this manner - think of it as a real-time version of YouTube.  Of course, if you're not comfortable creating video in the first place, this may be quite a leap in terms of confidence and risk.  The key is to get started today and practice.  It will get easier - trust me.I'll leave with the final thought.  Video creates a personal touch with your market.  If any of you have ever "finally met someone in real-life" after chatting with them on Twitter, then you can appreciate this.  People want to see, talk and interact with others beyond text based methods.  If that makes sense to you, then I encourage you to push your comfort zone and leverage Ustream (or YouTube) to take things to the next level.  You'll be glad you did.What are your thoughts?  Is streaming video something that would help you communicate with your market?  Are consumers ready for this?

Listen or DownloadThe fact is, many business owners still do not understand the power of social media and Twitter in particular. Those active in social media marketing can easily point to at least one if not several businesses that have derived some benefit as a result of their engagement.