It went very well, mixed bag of people who knew some of this and some who never heard of it. So there was some great open communication from the group after the “lecture” just as I had hoped.

Then a local, well known I might add, Real Estate Agent asked this question as it pertains to her business:

“Craig, (insert Brokerage Firm name here) has decided to completely stop using the newspaper as a source of advertising and are moving solely to the web, but I do not know nor do I really have the time to get involved in Social Media, I have an assistant who is in charge of that for me. Also most of my clientele are over 50 and not the predominate demographic for using the web to find out about things like Open Houses, and the local newspaper will not even call me back to place ads with them at this point, what do I do?”

She also brought up about how she posts houses for sale in her blog.

This was an excellent question and immediately I started to think about the following:

Right or wrong, I tried to work through these issues with her one at a time.

I suggested to her that I felt it was an error on the Brokerage firms part to just stop using other traditional forms of marketing outright without at least pulling back slowly (the reason for the change was because of the dramatic increase in paper advertising costs) and using the opportunities to educate the customers about the transition to web. However we were told that the local newspaper will not post the Real Estate company’s URLs anymore (there are competing with there own home listings website, well maybe not competing so much if others can’t post there own stuff.)

So my thought was this, use direct mail postcards to those clients for those Open Houses and be sure to educate the people that the website would have more information, use the postcard as a lead in. Use sources such as salesgenie.com (If you have a better one, please post!) to find customers in your demographic for the mailing.

Now the assistant writing articles. I explained that I felt that she needed to be the one sharing the message, and the message needed to be more about her knowledge in her industry and her own thoughts about certain topics in general. I have seen other Tri-Cities, WA Real Estate Agents who attended classes start doing this as well. I feel that she could use the assistant as an editor, by providing some bullet points and then proofing before posting so the article is essentially hers and not her employees. She had a concern about time, and I mentioned how I use Dragon Naturally Speaking to dramatically cut down the time necessary to do this. All things she hadn’t thought of.

What I wanted to get across to her, was that people can learn ABOUT what she does and about who she is and that she already knows that relationships are what builds business opportunities in any service related business. People that get to know her will learn that she has a website dedicated to selling houses, her blog can demonstrate her personal expertise in the housing industry and how she thinks about business in general. No need to blog about a HOUSE.

I don’t know that I could cover everything in 2 hours, but did my best.

What do you think? Have some thoughts about this? Please post!

Matt McGee, Assignment Editor, Search Engine Land

Q: Matt, you have been the creator and editor of a site call @U2, about the band with that name. Where do you get your information from and how reliable are your sources? Also please tell us a bit about your new book U2, a Diary.

A: First, Craig, thanks for the chance to chat. I’ve been enjoying the earlier interviews you’ve posted.

The book just came out in November, and was the result of a couple years of research and writing — not to mention the help of fans around the world. When I announced the book was being written, I also launched a blog to share updates about my progress. But it also gave me the chance to put out calls for help, and U2 fans were great at helping out. I’d publish some question or request for a missing piece of information, and without fail I had answers within a matter of days, if not hours. It was a real Web 2.0 writing experience! The end result is a complete history of the band that I tell in a timeline format with diary-style entries. Fan response has been really great since it was published, and I’m super grateful for that.

The web site dates back to October, 1995, and to answer your question … I certainly think our sources are reliable because we always self-police what we report. When you own a popular web site (or blog, or whatever), people start bringing information and tips to you. It almost becomes a self-sustaining thing. Posting juicy news and rumors leads to more juicy news and rumors being shared! At this point, we get fans all over the world emailing information to us. They get it from their local radio, TV, or newspaper. We also have a network of friends around the world who have contacts in the music industry, at record labels, etc. And we’ve developed our own contacts and resources, too, of course. A fair amount of music journalists will email us when they report something U2-related so that we can share it with our readers.

Q: You also are the principal of the SEMMYs, can you tell how this awards idea was developed and how one can qualify as a judge or a recipient? How long have you been involved with it?

A: The 2nd annual SEMMY Awards will happen this month. I started it last year because there were already a few web sites giving out awards to bloggers and writers, but no one was recognizing the actual content.

To me, it was like awarding the actors and directors, but not the movies. So, the SEMMYs are all about content. The judges are fellow marketers whom I know and trust to be familiar with the categories they’re judging, and who volunteer to help out by reviewing nominees and choosing finalists. The best way to become a nominee is to publish great content and get it seen on the social web — via Twitter, Sphinn, StumbleUpon, Delicious, etc. As long as the content is about online marketing, everyone’s eligible!

Q: Our twitter guest question comes from @kevinseoames who asks “When targeting a specific city for local seo is it wise to also target its suburbs or is the main city enough?”

A: The answer to almost every SEO question, including this one, is “it depends.” I think the answer to this one depends on the area you’re talking about and the industry you’re in. I’ll use our hometown as an example: I don’t know for sure, but I doubt many people go to Google and search for “computer repair west richland” or “computer repair benton city.” (Those are two suburbs of the Tri-Cities, for those who don’t know.) So, if I’m a computer repair shop, I’d probably focus on phrases that cover the three main cities and then “tri-cities,” too.

But, I know from having a wife in real estate that people do search for homes in the suburbs. When it comes to picking a place to live, people sometimes have very specific requirements, and their behavior on Google (and Yahoo, MSN, etc.) reflects that. Either way, the best thing to do is start a PPC campaign that targets all the keywords you’re considering and see which ones actually get search traffic. Then do your SEO accordingly.

Q: On the Small Business Search Marketing website, your personal information indicates “I’ve consulted for companies as big as Target.com and as small as a mom and pop selling handcrafted wooden pens from their garage.” Tell us a bit about the Target job, that sounds like an SEO’s dream opportunity!

A: Ha! Not sure I’d describe it that way, because it was my first project after leaving my longtime Tri-Cities job and going to work for a Big Company in Seattle. It was more than a little intimidating, to be frank! Not sure how much I should say, but it was basically an audit of their web site and a consultation at their corporate headquarters in Minneapolis. The trip and presentation was great, and an excellent experience to say the least. The people we met with were good, smart people — but in a tough position, because they were (and still are, I think) using Amazon.com’s e-commerce platform. So, they were at the mercy of a competitor in terms of what changes they could make to their site. That’s a tough situation, as you can imagine. You’re right — it was a great opportunity, but I don’t know how many of our recommendations they were able to implement.

Q: On a personal note, you are also an active photographer and have many of your photos in a Flickr group. I personally use a Nikon D60 which I am still learning quite a bit about. What’s your camera of choice, and what kinds of tips would you give to us about photography and using Flickr?

A: I’m still using a 3-year-old Canon Powershot S3, which came out when DSLRs were still more than $1,000. One of these days I may get around to upgrading, but it’s enough camera for what I do.

Flickr tips should always start with Groups. People tend to think of Flickr as a photo storage service, but the heart of Flickr is the Groups. That’s where you get to meet and chat with people who share interests with you. And if you’re a local business, there’s a Flickr Group for your hometown/area — I guarantee it. So, more than just uploading photos, if you get active in the right groups, you can make connections with people who might be interested in your products or services. It’s social media, so of course you can’t do the hard sell thing. Just hang out and get to know people. And yes, share photos when appropriate. I also like to link from my photos to related blog posts. Then, when someone sees the photo in our group, they might also click through and become a blog reader.

A: Truth is, I don’t. I don’t think you ever get “over” the need to be accepted or reassured that you’re a good person. But what I have learned over the years is to quit trying to be everything to everyone. I’m a certain type of person, full of quirks, and I’m not everyone’s taste. It’s taken me a while to learn that that’s ok. And in business, I’ve become relentlessly focused on doing the things that I can do well and leaving the rest to others with those strengths. Doing that gives me the confidence that I can be reasonably successful in what I do, and the reassurance that I can get back up if I stumble. And on a personal level, I try very hard not to take myself too seriously. Laughing at yourself is usually the best way to keep a little perspective. I find reasons to laugh at myself almost daily. :)

Q: Our twitter guest question comes from @heatherrast, who asks “How does Amber maintain a post’s focus (no tangents)?”

A: It’s a funny thing about that. This one time, when I was backpacking, I was exploring this cave. There was this turtle, and ….oh wait. Sorry.

Seriously though, I think it’s a function of my being a bit anal retentive. Once I get an idea in my head, I feel like I need to explore it in a very comprehensive way. But I wouldn’t always say that’s a strength. I envy the ability that others have to draw parallels and associations between things that are, on the surface, unrelated. To go in interesting, non-literal directions. I struggle with that sometimes. But I typically approach posts on my business blog with a question in my head that I’m trying to explore first, and the post becomes the path to get there. Writing is often my way of organizing ideas. Sometimes I’m more successful than others. :)

Q: You have a very effective writing style, can you tell us where you learned to communicate so effectively? How long have you been communicating online?

A: Writing is something I’ve always loved, and I can thank my mom for that. Whenever I wanted to know what a word meant, she told me to go look it up. But I’ve never been a fan of “fluffy” writing. I feel like written communication serves two purposes: to inform, or to entertain. If it’s the former, dispense with the filler and use real words. If it’s the latter, you’ll find few people that appreciate eloquent writing more than I do. I read voraciously – sometimes as many as two or three books at a time – and so I imagine I pick up elements of good writing in lots of different places.

As for online, I don’t know that I can backdate that. I started my career as a professional fundraiser for non-profit organizations, and well-written communication – both online and off – is really key to success in that industry. I suppose I first started writing email newsletters and fundraising appeals over a decade ago. Because we’re not going to talk about my adventures in true geekiness and cite BBS and chat rooms of old, right?

Q: Altitude Branding is your Social Media and Marketing consulting business, can you tell us what you offer you customers? Is this part of The Brand Box or just a re-branding?

A: The BrandBox is the name of my blog itself, which used to be a separate site (note to others: dumb move. Don’t do it.). Altitude was always the name of my company, but the sites were separate until I smashed them together earlier this year. For someone who executes crystal clear branding for other people, I sure managed to make mine confusing as hell (shoemaker’s kids and all that). When I relaunched the site, I kept the BrandBox as the title of the blog portion. Clear as mud? Okay, good.

As a consultant, I’m typically engaged to help companies learn about social media by providing workshops and training, and assist them with building the framework for their social media plans. And I help with the project execution too, from doing internal education to launching blogs and building social media newsrooms (with the help of some awesome technical partners). I do some speaking too, both for conferences and private events, usually around social media topics. It’s all designed to help companies better bridge their brands from the analog world to the digital one using online and social media tools. Whatever helps businesses be more successful in online communication, that’s what I’m here to help do.

Q: Ok Amber, no foofy drinks is how you communicate your alcoholic desires in your profile. So what are your top 3 favorite beers and why?

A: Man, three? But there are so many. Ok, if I had to pick, I’d probably go with:

Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock for it’s sheer asskicking complexity and deliciousness
Chimay Red (or Rouge if you’re a true beer snob) because you can’t go wrong with beer served in a goblet
And for a good anytime beer, I’d go with either Magic Hat #9 or New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale.

I tend to like complex, hoppy beers. Unless it’s a Cubs game. Then it’s Old Style, all the way.

Connecting the Global Community

I’ve read lists that go on to describe what people should look for in a Social Media expert. But really, is anybody an expert at Social Media? I think what it boils down to is simply this, people and their communication. Who is an expert? Anybody who chooses to take the time to contribute to this global informational community.

I think anybody who chooses to put themselves out there, share their thoughts, feelings and concerns takes part in this huge pot of information. It takes a lot of guts for people to share with others they don’t know and sometimes more with the people they do. I think it allows those who would normally be much more introverted to share some of their brilliance, and provide a much-needed outlet for the extroverts.

There are tools that encourage social media, and ideas that help mold and define it, ultimately it’s my opinion that there is no hard and fast definition. More likely is the idea that like anything you do in life, there is a learning curve. There are veterans who have been communicating online for many years and they have helped establish some basic guidelines, because they’ve been through many of the challenges that people new to the community will experience on their own.

I’ve seen these people challenged, which has its ups and downs. Those of us new to the game can learn some lessons. This does not mean you need to follow, nothing progresses without fresh input and ideas and a willingness to both invest in them and accept critique.

The most important lesson I’ve learned in social media is nothing more than what you would expect in life! If you expect to get something, you must first give. This is true whether your intentions for social media are strictly for personal enlightenment or more business-oriented. If your expectation is just to throw out information like a fisherman on a boat casting his line hoping for a bite, you may catch a goldfish but you’ll never catch the shark.

It’s really not that difficult folks, everybody wants to know they matter, even those that profess that they don’t care. Communication is the method by which you can help your self and others feel like they matter. If you treat people as if you could care less, you will get nothing more in return. So treat social media like you would treat your friend or your customer if they were standing right in front of you, not as if they were thousands of miles away. Care about the people and the people will make the rest happen.

But that’s just my 2 cents…