Stop trying to make the perfect viral video, just jump on someone else’s bandwagon
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“We want this to go viral!”
It’s a sentence that anyone that has spent time in internet marketing has heard 1,000 times. Mostly, it’s from an advertiser that doesn’t realize the cold, hard truth. It’s damn near impossible to purposely create something and make it go viral.
Sure, you can add all the elements that the internet lusts for, such as:
- Cats
- Kids
- Boobs
- Celebrities
- Getting hit in the groin
You can “seed it on Twitter.”
You can “post it on Facebook.”
You can “distribute it on YouTube.”
You can “submit it to Digg and reddit.”
Jim’s guest is Deanna Zandt, author of a social media book. They talk about how she got a book deal, raised money to fund it, and how she got free pizza.
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Deanna Zandt is the author of the new book, “Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking” which you can find out more about at her website, DeannaZandt.com.
During our interview, we talk about the following topics:
- How the former corporate employee and self-proclaimed ‘webmonkey’ went from independent consultant to author
- The process she took to turn her training seminars into a book idea
- The “Jedi Mind Trick” philosophy her publisher uses, and how she used “the force” of social media to raise funds in order to work on her book
- How she used crowdsourcing on everything from the title to the cover — and how people reacted to it
- The free software program she used to dramatically ramp up her productivity during the writing process
And yes, she explains how she scored a free eye exam and free pizza along the way.
Jim interviews the guys from Whiteyboard.com, a simple product with a unique marketing spin.
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I love me a good whiteboard.
And why not? I’m a marketer, a creator, a speaker, an idea guy, and a project manager. I like mockups. I like sketches. I like seeing how a process could flow, and then erasing it with a napkin (can never seem to find that damn eraser) and then sketching it out again. That is what whiteboards are born to do.
If your product or service isn’t doing the one thing it needs to, it’s time to get off the bus.
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Quick story…
that leads to a metaphor about your business. Let’s get right to it.
My Dad came down to NYC from Boston for a visit. We did a father-son road trip, spent some quality time together, and all was good. On Monday morning, we embarked to get him on the bus back to Boston.
For those unfamiliar with the Northeast, a plane ticket will run probably $200 RT, and you have to deal with cabs and security. The train is also over $100, and might save you 20 minutes of time. And driving is a headache with traffic. So the Boston-NYC bus route is very competitive – and thus economical – with promotional fares as low as $1 and usually around $15-$20 each way.
There are 3-4 main competitors:
- Fung-Wah bus (I’ve found people that have NOT ever taken the Fung-Wah bus, LOVE to tell others to take the Fung-Wah bus)
- Greyhound/PeterPan (The veterans that are feeling the pinch, leaving from the decrepit Port Authority and trying to upgrade their fleet of old buses quickly)
- BoltBus (An upstart with new buses and Wifi)
- Megabus (A double-decker version of BoltBus)
Let me say that all four companies have their issues, but today my Dad happened to be on Megabus.
In this episode, I interview entrepreneurs Michael Lewis and Tim Kress-Spatz from Suite Arrival, a new business that lets you be discreet, get a treat to eat, and keep your travel plans neat.
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We’ve all been there
Admit it, the TSA and the terrorists have combined to make it much more difficult to travel. Long gone are the days of rolling up to the airport for that 10:15 flight at 9:45.
Oh no… you’ve got to get there early, have all your IDs ready, make sure your bags are not too plentiful (the fees! the fees!) or too heavy, watch out for metal belt buckles, take off those shoes, remove those jackets, and take out your laptops (which can only add to the fact that 10,000 laptops are stolen from airports PER WEEK).
This episode is an interview I did at SXSW with Matthew Inman, the author of the popular web comic called The Oatmeal. Find out how he went from social media favorite to a book deal.
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Background
Matt got his start at online marketing and SEO firm SEOMoz. He went from there to coding an online dating site completely by himself in just 66 hours, and then turning around and selling it in only six months. The key discovery while he was there? The comics, quizzes and viral content he used to market the site were even more popular than the site itself. And thus while concentrating on just the viral comics themselves, The Oatmeal was born.
It’s my 99th podcast
I’m having a ball
Sarah and Chris are here
I’m not really sure, but they’re entrepreneurs
99 podcasts of beer on the wall.
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On this episode of The Hopkinson Report, Jim takes some time out of his SXSW adventures to have a chat with Chris McCann of Startup Digest and Sarah Prevette of Sprouter.com.
Hot topics for entrepreneurs:
- Why breakfast foods are the secret to business success and how Jim is going to corner the market with French Toast marketing.
- Chris shares his recent experience at an entrepreneurial conference in Dubai, the surreal “Las Vegas” of the Middle East.
- Sarah talks about Sprouter.com, which aims to bring entrepreneurs together to collaborate, share resources and experiences.
- Chris explains why startups near Carnegie Mellon will tell you about their business ventures, but then they would have to kill you.
- The most important lessons Chris has learned with Startup Digest, an international e-mail list to keep startups in touch.
- Chris discusses the up & coming cities for young entrepreneurs. He explains why NYC might be giving Silicon Valley a run for its money, and why everyone should keep an eye on those crafty Canadians (Sarah included).
- Why partnerships with experts can be a more efficient means of delegating tasks than taking it on alone.
- How and when marketing through e-mail can be effective.
In this episode of The Hopkinson Report, Jim talks with Brendan McManus of Wildfire. The Wildfire guys have developed a streamlined, cost-efficient, and user-friendly way of integrating promotions into Facebook fan pages.
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The numbers are overwhelming…
- Facebook has 400 million users and just keeps growing
- Users are joining at least 4 fan pages every month
- Traffic from Facebook to websites is increasing
What’s it like to be a professional photographer rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Billy Corgan, and Ludacris? Pro photographer Diana Levine will tell you.
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Ever since I worked in the photo section of the Caldor department store in high school, I’ve been interested in photography. I’ve owned many many cameras, from old school 110, Disc, and 35mm SLRs like my Minolta X-370, to some of the first digital cameras on the market in the late 90s, up through my newest point-and-shoot and desire to upgrade to a DSLR.
So when I had the chance to sit down and speak with pro photographer Diana Levine, I jumped at the chance. I had so many questions on so many topics. I wanted to know what it was like to freelance. What was her favorite equipment. What was it like to work with celebs. And with 2 billion photos a month being uploaded to Facebook, and more and more pictures needed various profiles on the web, how was social media affecting her business.
[Above: Diana shooting Alicia Keys]
We talked for so long I’ve made this a 2 part episode, and then we hit the streets of New York and set up an impromptu studio to see her in action.
In Part 1 we cover the following topics:
Background
- How did Diana get her start?
- Who was her main influence as a child?
- Which Conde Nast magazine did she intern at?
- What was the main thing she learned at Boston Magazine?
Freelance life
- How did she get over her fear of making the leap to freelance?
- What would she tell people wanting to strike out on their own?
- Is it a good or bad thing that cameras are so good and so inexpensive now that everyone thinks they can be a good photographer?
- What are the things that distinguish a true pro from an amateur?
Celebrities
- What’s it like working with celebrities: * Kim Kardashian
* New Kids on the Block
* Billy Corgan
* 50 Cent
* Ludacris
* Alicia Keys
* Vampire Weekend
* DJ AM
* Iman
* Fabolous
* JoJo
* Los Del Rio
* Harry Connick, Jr
(and more)
Other Celeb Questions:
- Tell us about your first celebrity shoot with KRS-One
- What’s the real scoop with Kim Kardashian
- Which singer made Diana have to pinch herself to make sure it was real?
- Which band’s fans sent her hundreds of tweets after she photographed them?
- A revelation about Billy Corgan that really shocked me.
- Which celebrity would be the one she’d like to photograph most (but can’t)
- How do you create a comfortable atmosphere when working with celebrities
- Which celebrity is she named after (Answer at right)
Celebrity projects
- MTV’s Super Sweet 16: What was Sean Combs’ house like?
- AOL’s Day in the Life project, what was it like spending an entire day with Ludacris or New Kids on the Block?
Part II will contain:
- Equipment she uses
- The affect of social media on the photo industry
- Tips and tricks for taking great photos
Does a great pair of earbud headphones for the iPhone exist? I sure haven’t found one, but lets find out.
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“Whoa it just got so freaking loud, are you in a wind tunnel?”
“I’m sorry, I just caught about every third word that you just said.”
“What? Can you repeat that last part? Your father is kissing a lizard?”
“Hello? Hello? I think I lost you.”
“Oh my gosh your phone is the worst thing ever I hate your damn phone it is HORRIBLE and I hate you and your damn phone please don’t ever call me again with that stupid phone.”
I don’t know about you, but those are just 5 of the types of things people say to me as the owner of an iPhone. By the way, the reference of “Your father is kissing a lizard” came from the sitcom Good Times, when they were on the phone and mishearing things, and then they figured out – and were devastated – when they realized the other person was saying “You father is stuck in a blizzard.” That’s right, I just made a Jimmy Walker joke. Dynomite.
The podcast and blog this week is being done to accomplish three things, as we set out to find best earbud headphones for the iPhone.
1) On the personal side, after 2 years the right earbud on my iPhone 3G headset stopped working, so I need to replace them, hopefully with a model that cuts down the complaints above.
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[Above: Diana shooting Alicia Keys]
