Jim Hopkinson: Alright, I’m sitting here in Wired’s New York City office with Mitch Joel. Mitch is President of Twist Image, an award winning digital marketing and communications agency. He’s also a blogger, a podcaster, a passionate entrepreneur, and speaker, who connects with people worldwide by sharing his marketing insights on digital and personal branding. Marketing Magazine dubbed him the ‘Rock Star of Digital Marketing’, and called him one of North America’s leading digital visionaries. And, in 2008, Mitch was named Canada’s most influential male on social media, one of the top 100 online marketers in the world, and was awarded the highly prestigious ‘Canada’s Top 40, Under 40.’ And as of this week, he has another title to add. So, welcome, Mitch.
Mitch Joel: Hey man, thanks.
JH: So, what would you consider your primary job, are you the owner of an agency, a speaker, a blogger, or as of this week, an author?
MJ: My friend, Chris Brogan, who’s got chrisbrogan.com and Trust Agency, says I’m a typist, is what he says [chuckles]. No, I’m actually, definitely a digital marketing agency owner. I’ve got three partners, we have offices in Toronto, Montreal, we have about 90 employees, and I really consider what I do fundamentally, marketing. I definitely use these other cool channels to build and promote the business in a very non-pitching way, but, I consider myself a marketer, at heart.
JH: So, you have the agency, and then all these other things you do kind of help you represent the agency?
MJ: Yeah, people are really shocked to hear about, but like anytime I speak, or the book advance that I got, goes right back into the agency; I don’t take my own cut out of it. When I was teaching digital courses, all that money went into the agency. I really am trying to build the business, after years of being both an entrepreneur and working for companies, I consider myself a rottweiler – this is mine, and I’m not letting go.
And, so, I just sort of look at it as I use a lot of these channels to communicate and connect to people in a very, very non-pushy or salesy way. I’m trying also to build the industry, the interactive world that we live in. And, it’s crazy! You’ve got traditional advertising will account for 90% of the budget, compared to interactive, which is like 10% - on a good day, it’s 10%. And, so, I really do see myself a little bit as an evangelist, a person who likes to go out there and speak to small and big groups about the importance of thinking differently about marketing in this day and age. Because, I’m really on a kick lately, that I think marketers are being highly irresponsible in this marketplace.
Hopkinson Report interview with Blogger, Podcaster, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author, Marketing Guru Mitch Joel.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
What does Mitch Joel have that almost every other “social media expert” doesn’t have?
Well, to answer that question, we have to look at the things that Mitch does have:
- He is certainly a great interview
While my Julia Allison interview is still my most downloaded episode ever, Saul Colt is the smartest man in the world, and my talk with Sarah Prevette confirmed she is the very definition of Malcolm Gladwell’s “connector,” my conversation with Mitch was one of the most engaging and interesting talks on the current state of internet marketing I’ve had to date.
- He certainly has a great background
How many other people started out as a music journalist with their first assignment ever being an interview with Tommy Lee from Motley Crue?
- He certainly has the new media resume to back up what he has to say
Considering he owns his own digital marketing agency called Twist Image, has been blogging since 2003 (which is why we discussed consistency over relevance), and also does a podcast.
- He certainly has a unique perspective on book publishing
Why did he go through a traditional publisher with his new book, Six Pixels of Separation? When I asked him if he thought about self-publishing with any of the new and impressive tools that are available, or distributing the book as a PDF or some other form, he said no. Why was that? He was writing a book for people that read books!
It seems quite obvious, but if some is dialed in and is already reading his work online via his blog and listening to his podcast digitally, they’re already aware of him. This is for the guy browsing in Barnes & Noble or running through the airport that wants a marketing book and has never heard of him. And get this, he ENJOYED the book writing process. Not many authors will tell you that.
- He certainly fits the modern geek profile
We discuss the tools of the modern road warrior, the pros and cons of SSD vs traditional hard drives, laptop choices and key features in laser pointers. You can see the list of geek electronics via “What’s in his bag.”
- OK, so what about public speaking?
Mitch is an accomplished speaker, having presented to Starbucks and Microsoft, sharing a stage with people ranging from Bill Clinton to Dr. Phil, and drawing from his arsenal of thousands of slides to wow any audience.
Maybe you’re an expert in your field as well, and want to do more speaking, or teach a class, or be on a panel.
- So what is the thing that Mitch has that nearly every other potential speaker is missing?
Answer: A “speaker’s page” … basically a bio page on your website that has some or all of the following elements:
- Bio section (or link to your full “About” page) that tells who you are
- List of places that you have spoken before
- Video examples of your speeches
- List of topics that you present on within your realm of expertise
- Testimonials from people that you have spoken with before
- A way to get in touch with you
Wow, that was obvious, right? But think about it… without all these elements, how can a company or conference have any confidence that you are a prepared professional that can pull this off? It’s like a resume for your public speaking persona.
I see this as a huge opportunity for people looking to get into this field, raise their profile, or try to generate additional revenue.
1) Fear of public speaking is right up there with fear of snakes and fear of dying. If you LIKE public speaking, you are ahead of 90% of the game.
2) A lot of people are bad at public speaking. If you practice, can weave a good story, and are prepared, you jump ahead of all of those people.
3) If you can put it all together and demonstrate to a potential company or conference that you can do this through a speakers page when no one else is, that should put you to the top of the list.
Mitch goes on to talk about several other great tactics, including books to read and gadgets to use.
Shirts + Social Media = Fashionable, Profitable Marketing for IWearYourShirt.com
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In my profession as an online marketer in the social media arena in New York City, I often find myself surrounded by three types of people…
1) Entrepreneurs looking to start a fun, unique business
2) Companies asking for new and inventive ways to market their product on a budget
3) People trying to harness the power of social media
Jason Sadler from IWearYourShirt.com is a walking, talking Venn Diagram of these three concepts merged together.
First, he has come up with a side business that not only generates more than $66,000 a year, but also ensures that he never has to buy another t-shirt nor worry about what to put on in the morning.
Second, he is offering a unique way for companies to get the word out about their product in 2009 for $365 or less, that doesn’t involve a traditional banner ad or Google keyword.
Lastly, he is harnessing the power of social media. By building up a personal network of followers on his blog, Facebook, Twitter, and video channels, he can expose a sponsor’s message to thousands of people, who then may in turn spread the word to thousands more. One company estimates Jason increased their social media presence 230%! See the transcript below for details (stats are bolded).
We had a great interview where he talks about:
- How he got the idea - Why businesses get their money’s worth - How his girlfriend — and grandmother — feel about him wearing a t-shirt every day.
Speaking of Venn Diagrams, Wired took the opportunity to buy Friday, September 18 Monday, September 28 from I Wear Your Shirt to promote the fact that they are giving away a FREE one-of-a-kind Venn Diagram with the purchase of an annual Wired Magazine subscription.
Update: Jason ‘wore our shirt’ on 9/28. See his blog post or watch the video below.
Last I checked, t-shirts were running anywhere from $15-$50 at retail outlets. This offer is $10 for a cool shirt AND you get 12 issues of Wired Magazine delivered to your door? No brainer.
—————————————————————- Full transcript of Jim Hopkinson interviewing Jason Sadler of I Wear Your Shirt on The Hopkinson Report podcast.
Jim Hopkinson: Hi, I’m on the line with Jason from IWearYourShirt.com which is a really unique business where Jason has actually outsourced his wardrobe to corporate America. Welcome Jason.
Jason Sadler: Thanks for having me.
Jim: So tell me, what is IWearYourShirt, why did you start this, and how did you get this crazy idea?
If the first half of 2009 was spent telling the world how to use Twitter, the second half might be them telling you that you can’t use it.
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I guess it had to end sometime.
What I’m referring to are the free-wheeling, anything goes days when Twitter burst onto the scene. Sure, it’s been around since 2006, but the first half of 2009 was the golden age of Twitter. We saw Wired Twitter followers grow more than five-fold from about 15,000 all the way past 75,000, and the same exponential growth was seen by everyone from Barack Obama to Ashton Kutcher.
Building a well-connected network takes time and effort, but if you have fun along the way, it could make your life a lot easier.
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Hey everyone, pull up a chair. In fact, fill out a nametag, introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you, and tell us what you do. This episode is about one of the single most important skills you can learn in life: Networking.
As always, I was out on a run to figure out this week’s topic. I’m usually a morning runner, but this week found me gliding down the edge of Manhattan’s East River at dusk on a summer Sunday. They’ve done a great job landscaping and carving out areas and installing benches and tables for people to relax and take in the view, and I saw two older women sitting and chatting at one of the tables.
Two things struck me. First, they had brought their own bottle of Merlot and were drinking from wine glasses, and second, they had brought their own tablecloth to put over the standard issue, bolted-into-the-sidewalk table.
Today I’m going to be talking about an element of Facebook that most people don’t see, the management of a ‘business page,’ or what they call a Public Profile. I’ll give you my thoughts, and then we’ll hear a bit of an interview I conducted at SXSW with Nick O’Neill of AllFacebook.com, and Helen Todd from TheKBuzz.com.
Download the interview from iTunes, or play it below:
When Facebook changed the way its business pages worked this spring, there was the usual outrage that follows any website redesign. But I think it’s changed for the better.
With 200 million people now using the social media service, there are plenty of individual accounts in action. But in addition to my personal Facebook page, I also help maintain the Wired Facebook page, at Facebook.com/wired.
This allows a company such as us to establish a brand presence on the service. The new change means it works much the same way as your personal page, as we are able to upload photos, videos, and update our status, but fans can ‘follow us.’ Actually, it sounds a bit like Twitter.
Hey, it’s the 1 year anniversary of The Hopkinson Report! So what’s my secret? Either delve into a topic that you’re really really into, or meet and interview people doing very cool things. As a car geek, I spent 4 hours at the New York Auto Show. So in a testament to my very first episode, the Porsche vs. the iPhone, I’m going to talk about cars, and marketing.
First let’s set the scene… The New York Auto Show is a massive production, a popular trade show that takes place at the Javits Center in Manhattan for up to 12 hours a day over the course of 10 days. Saturday April 11 brought pouring rain to New York City, making it the perfect day to be inside but do something fun. After sufficient food and caffeination, I descended into the belly of the beast.
The crowd was extremely diverse. There were plenty of 30-something white guys like me ogling the latest Porsches, families of 5 climbing in and out of minivans, and gangly teenagers with newly-minted driver’s licenses in the Fast and Furious demo talking tiptronic transmissions.
I also spotted a few secretly giddy Dads that probably implied to their wives that it would be a big chore to lug the boy to the show. Later on, he would ruin his 8-year-old son for the next 50 years by sitting him in the driver’s seat of a $100,000 Mercedes convertible, not realizing he had planted a seed in the kids brain and that he wouldn’t actually get to OWN that car until he was nearing retirement.
But with a fun, free-for-all atmosphere where everyone there patiently followed the car show etiquette of taking turns getting to sit in most any car they wanted, and without the normal stress of a used car salesman in a bad suit hovering over you, it was bliss for a car geek.
A new breed of web-savvy “infopreneurs” are leveraging their skills to build their own brand and make money on the web. Let’s look at a few ways how they do it.
Play Episode as a Podcast (recommended):
Today I’m going to throw out a term that I’ve been hearing a lot lately, even though Wikipedia says it was trademarked back in 1984 - Infopreneur. It’s obviously a combination of the words information and entrepreneur, and the modern use refers to people that are making money using the internet to market, distribute, and sell information. Today we’re going to look at some examples.
As the internet continues to evolve, these web-savvy infopreneurs are leveraging their skills to build their own brand. These “hyperinfluencers” create digital products, and then spread the word of their personal projects through various forms of social media.
While popular names in the media industry include varied personalities such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Julia Allison, Robert Scoble, Kevin Rose and iJustine, with tough economic times, more and more people are looking into starting an online presence and it’s easier and more enticing than ever:
Ah, the Super Bowl. Two teams meet on the field, nearly 100 million friends gather to watch the game at home, and ad agencies are charged with making a breakthrough TV commercial in only 30 seconds.
While those in the online marketing world live and breathe social media, we have to remember that outside our inner circle, there are still millions without Facebook accounts and that many think Twitter is a Looney Tunes character.
In this article, I analyze which companies effectively drove their message home, and which ones fumbled their big opportunity. After all, a TV spot during the big game is expensive; extending that brand to your audience via social media costs far less, and is often free.
Play Episode as a Podcast (recommended):
Or read as a blog post:
The commercials were judged on the following two criteria:
1) Was the spot effective in driving their marketing message
2) Did the website deliver on that message
SUPER BOWL CALIBER E*Trade - The smart-talking baby commercials are hysterical, and may have just coined a new golf term, “shankopotamus.” You watch the spot, you laugh, and you know what the product is about. Upon arriving at the web site, there are links to view the commercials, including even more hysterical outtakes. Bonus: E*Trade bought the Google keyword shankopotamus.
Sent their users flowers when they’ve had a bad day
Received a 99% positive referral rating
Had an entrepreneurial blog and irreverent newsletter
Had a Twitter following so passionate that users solved problems
Instilled a little bit of “magic” into everyday life?
Well, if you’re a marketer, a manager, or public relations rep trying to improve your company’s image, then my interview with Saul Colt, “Head of Magic” for the online invoicing company “Freshbooks,” is a must-listen.
Our 20-minute conversation is a marketing case study for using social media and “retro marketing” to grow a loyal following. We discuss:
How Freshbooks was born out of frustration that many freelancers face
Why they take their customers — even non-paying ones — to free dinners
What just might happen if you get stood up on a blind date
His title, and what happens when the “Head of Magic” heads to Las Vegas
Why he has a Love-Hate relationship with Zappos.com
The iPhone promotion that differentiated them from every other company
What does Mitch Joel have that almost every other “social media expert” doesn’t have?
Ah, the Super Bowl. Two teams meet on the field, nearly 100 million friends gather to watch the game at home, and ad agencies are charged with making a breakthrough TV commercial in only 30 seconds.
