As I was scouring my usual sources for ideas for this blog, I came across an article I couldn't resist. The article essentially gives 10 reasons why certain blogs suck. After reading all 10, I realized that THIS blog actually is guilty of several of these infractions. Since this is clearly unacceptable, I'm taking to heart the advice given by my friends at Daily Blog Tips.

First of all, I haven't written a post in over a month now, which means the content here is incredibly outdated, stale and probably already irrelevant. A good blogger posts something new at least once or twice per week. Even better bloggers update daily and the best post multiple times per day. If you have your own blog for your business or as a hobby, you will quickly realize how much time this actually takes. It's tough to keep up as it is, let alone report on a topic with your own witty spin. But you (and I) lose regular readers as each hour/day passes by avoiding the inevitable. And with lost readers go lost opportunities for ways to build your brand with new connections. Since this blog serves as a calling card of sorts for my consulting endeavors, it needs to show what I know helps companies build their brand. Clearly I need to step up my game.

Second, I may not be writing enough original content. As with many who blog in the social media, online marketing and other related niches, I often get my ideas for a post from other blogs. Some of my personal favs are:

Guy Kawasaki- How to Change the World
Techcrunch
Chris Brogan
Mashable
Seth Godin
and many more...

However, does that mean we are all writing about the same one article 500 times? Perhaps. And that likely means it's being overdone. Personally, I try to strike a balance between copying an article directly into this blog and actually putting some original thought into each post that may link to said article. However, since this blog is still in infancy, and there is much more to say, I should put some time now into thinking about what original posts I may want to put forth in the coming year.

Finally, this blog may *gulp* be BORING. While that may ultimately be subjective, it is important to remember who your audience is. This blog isn't meant for everyone or as a form of entertainment. It's got a purpose and that's to help build my reputation and hopefully impress potential clients along the way. Hopefully it's not redundant or boring, but that still remains to be seen as my readership grows or doesn't.

In the coming year, I vow to be a better blogger. Feedback is appreciated.

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/10-reasons-why-your-blog-sucks/

If you are a marketer and you are still just talking about getting a Twitter strategy together, here is some data to help you get on board. A new study done by Interpret LLC shows that, among other things, users of Twitter are more likely to click on ads:

• Twitter users were twice as likely to report rating or reviewing products online (24% to 12%)
• 20% of Twitterers sometimes click on ads, compared to just 9% of non-users
• Again, 20% of Twitterers reported visiting company profiles or web sites, almost twice as much as non-Twitterers (11%)

This helps to dispel the myth that consumers are not interested in having a relationship with your brand while on a social network. Consumers are not only interacting more with advertising, but also checking out company profiles and rating products. It's this kind of interactivity that serves your brand by building more connective relationships with your customers.

If you want help deciphering social media or putting together your strategy for Twitter, contact us at Vigor Consulting today.

Reference this study: http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-users-are-an-advertisers-dream-come-true-2009-9


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It may not be that impressive to see that I've only gained 21 followers on Twitter over the past couple of months, but what IS impressive is the site that shows me that data- twittercounter.com



This site is a great way to chart your success in gaining followers and maintaining communication with your customers or audience. However, it's also an interesting reminder of what kind of individuals and companies are the most successful on such a platform- for example, the #1 followed across all of Twitter is the Hollywood actor, Ashton Kutcher. Out of the top 20 followed, only CNN and NY Times are not actors, entertainers or politicians. That being said, if you have a reason to gather followers on Twitter, this is a great way to track your results.

Though Twitter is certainly here to stay, there is some interesting data being reported that shows that the general population still isn't buying into it's utility.

The LA Times recently published a study done by the LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll which reported that, of the 2,025 people surveyed, 69% said they didn't know enough about Twitter to comment on the service. Additionally, of those who were aware of Twitter, some said the short-messaging service would grow, and an equal number of respondents said it was just for kids.

Even with all of this new data, as a marketer if you aren't at least aware of Twitter, you must be hiding under a rock. The question is: how can you use Twitter as a platform for your brand? Admittedly, some brands may not belong on this heavily B2C platform. If
you are looking to expand your B2B brand, there are more effective and highly targeted ways to reach your target customers such as email and SEM. However, if you are consumer-facing, start by searching Twitter to see if people are talking about your brand, product or service. If there is enough buzz around you already there- get started ASAP! If you need to build your brand, you can start by creating a Twitter account and then searching for people that have interest in your category to connect to.

A few large brands doing a great job on Twitter that I've seen are: Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Apple iPhone, CNN and NYTimes. There are also several smaller companies using Twitter to grow their business.

The bottom line: you can't afford NOT to be where your customers already are. Twitter may not be as big or growing as quickly as Facebook, but this is a FREE platform for your business to push messages to your target customers. If you need more help getting started with Twitter, contact Vigor Consulting to discuss your needs and how we can help.

Just caught this killer travel deal off of MSNBC travel- all you can fly anywhere JetBlue goes between Sept 8th- Oct 8th 2009. Given that I just paid $800 for tickets from SEA-JFK, this could be a great deal even for one round trip ticket!


Pass holders can book travel within three days before a desired departure date. Domestic taxes andfees are included, but international and Puerto Rico taxes and fees arenot included in the deal. A $100 change or cancellation fee alsoapplies.

You must book the pass by August 21st to get the deal: http://tinyurl.com/pn3psl

MSNBC article: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32390220/ns/travel-deals/

Is Google changing it's search results layout? Techcrunch posted an article yesterday with this screenshot of the supposed new layout: http://tinyurl.com/ld76lp.

It's an interesting change, if it becomes permanent, given Google's longstanding commitment to keeping paid vs. organic search results clearly separated. Google has also done a lot of work to monitor paid advertising to keep it as relevant as possible.

Is it better for the advertisers to blend in with organic content? Probably, in terms of clicks, but not necessarily in terms of ROI. Consumers have been trained by Google to recognize advertising vs. organic content and unless the paid content is truly relevant, a consumer will go back to their original search.

Ultimately, Google will do everything to maximize it's profits, as they should. Consumers on the whole may initially click more on paid results with layout changes, but relevancy is still of primary importance.

I am thrilled to finally be up and running online with Vigor Digital Consulting! After over 15 years in digital marketing and advertising with multiple Seattle-based startup companies, I have ventured out on my own and hope to use my myriad of experience to help companies of all sizes and stages create effective "online" strategies.

I started my career with Avenue A (now Razorfish) in 1998 when online marketing was init's infancy (pre-Google!) and search engines still included Magellan, Lycos and Overture. I worked with clients such as Eddie Bauer, Microsoft, David's Bridal and others to plan effective media campaigns and provide positive ROI results. Clearly the web has grown by leaps and bounds since 1998 and the term "online" certainly doesn't begin to cover what is in the marketers toolbox in 2009. These days, I define "online" to include mobile applications on PDA's such as iPhone, Google phones, Blackberry and Palm as well as SEO, SEM, traditional banners, rich media, email, desktop extentions of online networks such as Tweetdeck, of course Facebook, Digg, Reddit, Delicious, Twitter and essentially any technology-based platform through which you can reach your customers and join the conversation. There are far more ways to acquire new customers and communicate to current customers or brand enthusiasts than ever before! However, with that often comes fear and trepidation from marketers who are unsure of how to utilize these new tools.
The mission of Vigor Consulting is to de-mystify these platforms and tools and work with your company to create a custom strategy that ultimately allows you to reach your goals. We have combined experience across several areas: marketing, advertising, business development, strategic consulting, SEM, SEO, social media, conversion and website optimization and more.

My goal for this blog is to be informative and give you an idea of our perspective. I must admit, I'm not the best blogger, but I hope you'll stay tuned for what we have to say about many of these tools and various technology platforms.

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.