I rarely ask for it, but I need help from someone smarter than me and that is all of you. I figure since Hannukah starts tonight, what better time to ask?

(They, whomever they is, always says hang out with people smarter than yourself.)

Here is the deal.

The day before Thanksgiving, I published: 10 Big Marketing Predictions For 2010

And thanks to all of you it went virally wild and was spread by everyone from Guy Kawasaki to a Governor in China (with over 625 Retweets which I think now have broken the RT button) and I appreciate it greatly.

My goal has been and will always be to be helpful to you: The entrepreneur, the small business owner, the marketer, the PR pro, the CMO, the expert, the author, the information junkie and even the big brands looking for ways to market your business and yourself LIKE an entrepreneur. Smarter. Faster. Cheaper. Hustling.

So I need a little help.

Over the next couple of weeks, before the new year, I plan on going into my writing cave and popping up with a unique E-book inspired by the predictions.

I can guarantee:

-A huge amount of hours to create something remarkable and worth spreading (in the words of Seth Godin).

-Expansion on the 10 predictions to include greater detail and ways to use the principles in your business big or small.

-Additional resources including top people to learn from online and in social media, key companies to pay attention to and other fun stuff.

-A video component built into the PDF (seriously, wait till you see this one).

I can also guarantee it will NOT contain:

-Too dense of material that takes hours to get through (I know we are all busy).

-Any BS of any kind including upselling to weird programs, sketchy Internet Marketing stuff or hooks to entice you to buy more stuff (There may or may not be an affiliate or two in there but they will be clearly marked and will only be pertinent to the E-Book and companies I use and trust).

This is my first “product” and I wouldn’t create it unless I feel like it will be 100% useful to you.

So, why should you care?

First, I really truly believe it is going to REALLY help your business and get your mind spinning with ideas and actionable items.

Second, you can have a hand in helping create it with your ideas (and I’ll make sure to give you credit in the E-book).

Here is where the help comes in.

1. How much should I charge (if at all)? I’m thinking $9.99. Would you pay $9.99? $14.99? As mentioned, this will have a video component as well built into the actual PDF and may have excerpts from some of my favorite interviews with folks like Chris Brogan and Gary Vaynerchuk plus original content from myself.

2. I’m thinking of creating an affiliate program. If you put it on your blog, website, etc. I will give you a unique link or promo code and you will get 50%. Would you be up for that and is that fair?

3. What would you like to see in the E-book? ALL ideas are more than welcome. I’m thinking of including expanded lists similar to these two popular ones from my blog:

35 Unique Entrepreneurs That Are Changing The Business World

25 Forward-Thinking Online Destinations Well Worth Your Time

4. What would the ideal title be? Should it be the same as the blog post? Or something different such as “Marketing In 2010: The Complete Playbook” or “The Ultimate 2010 Marketing Playbook”. If you come up with a killer title, you will get 100% credit in the E-book.

If you could, please take a couple of seconds to leave your comments/ideas or feel free to email me directly at David AT DSGagency.com.

The idea here is to spread an idea. Help people get it. Pass it on. Change marketing.

As usual, I’m more thankful for you to take the time to read this, comment and pass it on if you choose.

I find it no way ironic that I got a chance to sit down with the master of connections and introductions Bob Burg ….through an introduction.

A good friend of mine Dixie Gillaspie (@DixieDynamite on Twitter) was nice enough to set up the interview after telling me:

“You have to meet Bob Burg.”
“You have to meet Bob Burg.”
“You have to meet Bob Burg.”
“You have to meet Bob Burg.”
“You have to meet Bob Burg.”

Oh boy was she right. Besides being a dynamic speaker and author, Bob is one heck of a nice guy and really knows his stuff and how people work.

In this interview we talk about The Go-Giver (Amazon Link), how to add value to business relationships,  how to plant fantastic networking seeds, and much more including *spoiler alert* info on his NEW book: Go-Givers Sell More (Amazon Link)

Knowing Bob, it is going to be a SMASHING success.

(Video was shot on the lovely couches at Classic Car Studio)

Also, a shout out to Bob’s co-author of The Go-Giver John David Mann who also did a fantastic job with the book.

For some time, I have been trying to understand the mysteries of how Search Engine Optimization actually works.

It’s complicated – but it’s not at the same time, if you think like a “bot” spinning around the web.

The engines are trying to answer the question of the search.  If you put in pizza –63108 – you get a very specific answer.  If you put in pizza, you get the whole world and you probably get invited to join the Pizza Hut loyalty club – which you didn’t ask for – but if you’re not specific, that’s what you get.

I’ve been getting schooled on SEO from a new entity called Buzzhound – and I’m taking their class on Monday.  It’s a one day class that breaks down the “geek speak” and makes it understandable to the average business person and marketer. A good friend of mine and mentor Norty Cohen is the big brain behind it.

Let’s face it with the new Google announcement yesterday with Real-Time Search – search is going to be out of control next year – and you better be ready for it.

That starts with your site – or your client’s site.  Get yourself ready for 2010 my friends.

I think if you’re in business – you have to get over the barrier of learning search marketing – and I’m dedicated some time to making that happen for myself ASAP.  Buzzhound Learning Lab is opening a St. Louis branch up just a few minutes from my office – and they’re only teaching 10 people at a time – with two instructors.  It’s a one day course.  We worked a deal (thanks to my free education…the perks and there is your disclosure) and our readers get $50 off – just by mentioning The Rise To The Top when they register.  So it’s like $645 and it’s for a full day with 5-1 student/teacher ratio.  I think it’s going to fill up fast.  Classes are on Fridays starting in January.  Perfect for your resolution or your co-workers’.

I’m looking forward to spending the day with them next week.  Apparently, there are basic tools that they’ll show me how to use – stuff to measure site traffic, best keywords – etc – and how to logically build the best site.  But at the end of the day – I’ll have the ability to evaluate a site, understand it’s draw and whether or not competitors are driving more business out of the same key words and tags.

Getting found in 2010 is a moving target  – and I’ll keep you posted next week on what I learn.

Let’s assume you have a killer website.

Ready to engage customers.

Ready to entice newcomers.

Ready to make a sale, provide information, delight with content, or entertain.

Ready to make an incredible impression about you and your business.

Your hope is that customers and raving fans will come flood your website causing so much traffic that your head spins with dollar signs and would then get down on your hands and knees on the way to the bank to thank the wide, wonderful world of The Internet.

(Insert Pause)

But they don’t come.

Time to check reality. Without a marketing strategy for your website, you simply have a bunch of expensive, pretty looking (I hope at least) pages.

Sort of like a direct mail piece that was never mailed. Or a slick TV ad never aired. Or an E-Blast never sent.

But how do you capture that highly targeted traffic you were hoping for?

There are a few tried and true ways to build traffic and keep it coming like a dog to milk-bone. Some work better than others. Some take some cash. Others take some time. Not everything is for everyone, but the world of marketing online is something that is seriously easy to understand once you grasp the basics and hone your skills.

One thing to keep in mind, is marketing your website is only one piece of the puzzle. Your website has to be able to engage, convert customers, or accomplish whatever your goal may be. Otherwise, the reverse of the first sentence is true and you have a killer marketing strategy and a terrible website. That doesn’t work either.

Here is a basic overview of the ways people find out about your website (and always remember, wherever you leave your digital footprint online, make SURE to have a link):

1. Advertising

Offline: Traditional advertising some might call it. Print, radio, TV. Giving someone a compelling reason to visit your site.

Online: Banner ads, Video ads, other non-pay-per-click forms of advertising.

2. Word Of Mouth

Aunt Mary Jane found out about your website from you and told five people, who all told three people.
Or you told your current customers/clients all told a few people.
Interesting, unique and helpful stuff spreads, everything else doesn’t.

3. A List

An opt-in email list with a truly targeted audience is a great way to drive traffic.

4. Paid Traffic

Pay-per-click campaigns such as Google Adwords and Facebook Advertising (and Youtube Advertising as well) allow you to display ads in front of a targeted audience (for example: Those that type in “Futons In St. Louis” into Google or 21-25 year olds in St. Louis on Facebook who have an interest in Thai Food).

5. SEO

Known as Search Engine Optimization. When people search Google or Bing (or Youtube for that matter), it isn’t random chance what gets displayed. And you can’t buy your way to the top of SEO like paid traffic (with paid traffic, if your budget is big enough you can make sure to be on the pages you desire).

Ranking highly for keywords and phrases is a big part of web strategy (more about that tomorrow when we hop into detail).

6. Social Media

My personal favorite. I love it because it is human. Social media is a great way to form new relationships, cultivate existing ones, shmooze, share interesting content (yours and others) and build trust for you and your brand. When maximized, it is a big, powerful tool for drawing interesting folks to your website with a virtual handshake.

7. Content

Paid: This means paying to be on a show, or sponsoring a news article/show, or anywhere where you pay for NOT placing an ad but instead providing content (For some examples see The 10 Big Marketing Predictions For 2010). Linking back to your website is a must.

Non-Paid: Guest blogs, syndicating content out through video sites like Tube Mogul, Article marketing sites. And when your content is really good, you can enable your viewers to submit to social bookmarking sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, BizSugar for business and a whole slew of others. )

8. PR/Buzz

From national media sources to bloggers (I love bloggers even more), any interview or story on you is a great opportunity to bring in traffic.

Best thing about bloggers is they have passionate communities on niche subjects be it cock spaniels or silver cookware. And unlike traditional media, it has a lasting effect due to the lasting memory of the Internet…plus bloggers can help land you on national media sources by helping build your buzz and credibility. Remember to respect the blogger.

9. Commenting On Blogs/Forums

This is Gary Vaynerchuk’s favorite method. In your niche there are plenty of blogs. I promise. Search for them using Google Blogsearch or Alltop. And become part of the community by commenting on interesting posts, becoming active in forums and always leave a link back to your website…without being a jerk (more about that in an upcoming post). Remember you are drawing traffic, but first and foremost you are adding content to each community.

10. Link Love

This goes hand-in-hand with many of the tactics but the more links you get to your site (especially from sites with high traffic in your niche who are credible) the more your traffic will go up.

Bottom line is all of these tactics work.

Which ones are right for your business?
Which ones have the most ROI?
Which ones take the most time?
Which ones take the most $?
Which ones will help you in the long run?
Which ones could change overnight?

In the new few posts, we are going to dive into all of them. The positives, the negatives and everything in-between. And don’t worry, I can promise it will be free of tech-jargon and all other forms of BS.

Anything I missed? How do you drive traffic to your website?

Flip Video just gets it.

Besides offering an extremely cool product for consumers, content creators, entrepreneurs, authors, experts, athletes and even big brands, they understand incorporating social media into E-Blasts with the CUSTOMER in mind.

Most E-Blasts/E-Newsletters that I see have started to incorporate social tools into it but it normally looks like this:

“Follow Us On Twitter!”
“Friend Us Up On Facebook!”
“Become A Fan!”

While I applaud those efforts of incorporating social media into the marketing strategy, it leaves a very important question to be answered:

“WHY should I?!”

Or even better:

“What’s in it for me?”

For emerging big brands like Flip Video (or really brands of any shape and size), it is critical to give folks a compelling reason to follow you on Twitter or join your Facebook page.

In this particular blast, by becoming a Facebook Fan you save $15. Now THAT is good reason why you might want to join their page.

I know I joined it. So have 100,000+ other people.

Here are some other ideas they might try:

-Subscribe to their Youtube Channel and get access to some hidden tricks on maximizing The Flip Camera.
-Follow Flip On Twitter for up-to-the minute customer service and to get your Flip Questions answered.
-A random Facebook fan a week gets a free flip cam in return for shooting whatever they like for that week and being able to upload to Flip Cam’s Facebook Page. Then at the end of the year, the 52 videos are voted on and some kind of cool prize is given.

Those are three ideas that popped into my head. What would you do to maximize it even further?

Best part about all of this it is done with only some effort, creativity, genuine caring for the customer and a little bit of a product giveaway. Seems like some great ways you we could all improve our businesses through smarter, faster and cheaper marketing.

There Is No Denying Social Media Marketing Knowledge Is Important:

Understanding and maximizing social media, especially for entrepreneurs, those with a strong personal brand (athletes, celebrities, authors, experts), CMO’s/Marketers/PR Pros, and big brands is all the rage right now.

And for good reason.

Never before has there been such an incredible, exciting and useful set of tools to talk directly to consumers, interact with potential clients and many other uses.

Although the tools we use (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) may change (TweetFaceIn may pop up tomorrow and become relevant), the principles of these conversations and the social web is here to stay.

With new technology and a new way of doing things comes a series of important questions from folks outside the space looking to possibly dip a toe in (and eventually hopefully dive in all together) or at least become educated and understand why it is relevant and not just for the extreme techy or “young people.”

This includes (and not limited to):
-Entrepreneurs/Small Business Owners
-Big Brands
-Strong Personal Brands: Experts, Authors, Celebrities
-CMO’s/Marketers/PR Communications Folks Looking To Learn/Maximize Social Tools

Questions such as (most common ones I hear from my clients/friends/audience at my speeches):

How do you use the technology? Which sites do I need to be on and why? Will this take too much time? How do I measure ROI? Is this a fad or a big marketing tool? Do I have to be a super techy to do this? Will this improve my bottom line and move the sales needle? How do I manage my brand? Will this make me money and grow my business?  How do I keep my personal information private? What if someone says something bad about me/my business?

To me, this is a fantastic opportunity to really truly care and help these people and make the world more connected, social and interactive.

Plus, it is fun.

The Rise Of The “Experts”:

With the rise of social media and social media marketing comes the rise of a few different types of “experts” just like any field from financial planning to weight loss.

The problem is the barrier of entry is so low to social media. Sign up for an account and you are now in the space.

This ease of use is fantastic, but you don’t just sign up to be a doctor or lawyer. Plus, it is (pretty) hard to fake being either one of those.

And while the ease of use is great, mastering it for marketing is a completely different animal. Just because someone gives you a bat, doesn’t mean you are Albert Pujols.

That being said, this post is not meant to bash anyone, but instead offer some ways that you can really easily determine who will get the best results for you and your company.

No fluff or sketchiness.

It seems social media consultants falls into three categories:

1. Self-Proclaimed Experts/Gurus.

Often very techy, know the right terms to say from reading popular blogs, may have a lot of followers…but little influence because most followers came from a robot or other sketchy means. No proven track record of clients helped, big guarantees, view social media as the one and only magic pill that will fix your company (yikes!)

2. Agencies “Just Now” FOCUSING On Social Media.

Many marketing and PR agencies are doing a good job with social media. Others see it as a quick way to bill more hours to clients especially since it is such a hot buzzword. Notice, I said “focusing” and not “offering” because offering can be a great thing. A smart approach I’ve seen is for agencies to hire someone in Category 3 below and utilize that person’s skills to help with clients (sure, they can mark it up and make a profit, but the bottom line is the client gets the best person for the job). Eventually agencies will have very competent in-house social media teams and may still use outside consultants to keep them up-to-date with the latest technology and practices for clients (because this world “is-a-changing-fast”)

3. The Best.

These people live, breathe, and know how to teach social media. More than that, they REALLY understand marketing. I mean really get it. And they don’t just talk the talk, they can show MEASURABLE results for themselves and companies they have worked with (For example:  “Here is how I used social media for myself to market and these are the results”). Often these folks are more than a one-trick pony and understand marketing, especially in 2010, is an integrated approach (social media + your website + other marketing/advertising + content creation) efforts. This person should hopefully be well versed on creating strategy and proving ROI and really showing how it effects the bottom line.

The Key Questions To Ask:

If you are looking to dabble into social media and need a little help, that’s great. Here are a few questions I would suggest to ask to see if you can figure out which category above your potential consultant might fall into:

1. How long ago did you start using social media and why?

Hopefully they were an early adapter and understood the importance early on or caught on quickly.

2. What do you personally use social media for and why?

More than sharing funny photos of the keg stand in college, a good consultant shows how they use/have used it for business.

3. What is your background other than social media?

If they are helping you with marketing, I would hope they have a background in marketing/promotion of some shape or form.

4. Do you blog?

I hope so! And more importantly it is a well-designed well-visited blog?

5. What have been YOUR measurable results from using social media?

I.E: My business increased X Amount, I Had X PR Opportunities, Met X People, Recruited X People.

6. Do I need to be on every site?

If the answer is “YES” that could be a warning flag. The bottom line is you probably don’t need to be on every site under the sun.

7. How much would it cost me for you to setup my social media accounts?

This should be included in part of the consulting fee if you don’t have an account setup yet. The key here is NOBODY should be charging a relative arm and leg to setup an account. A well designed Twitter background? Sure, that costs a bit. However, the response here I would hope would be that setup is included, but real expertise comes from knowing how to OPTIMIZE accounts and avoiding little common mistakes.

8. (If you plan on getting advice on creating content) Have you created content yourself?

Hopefully there are good examples from the consultant’s personal work and/or work from clients.

9. Do I need to stop my other marketing/advertising?

If they tell you “Yes!” right away, that is warning flag. Every business is different. Traditional advertising still could be a big component. Other forms of marketing such as events, etc. can be amplified and integrated with social media. Plus social media is ONE component of the online marketing world (other important ones include SEO and maybe pay-per-click campaigns depending on the client/goals.

10. Will this fix my business?

A “Yes!” here would definitely not be a great thing. Social media amplifies bad business as opposed to fixing it.

11. Do you guarantee followers?

Run away if they quantify this. Sure, with many principles applied followers are going to come. Guaranteeing them seems a bit sketchy.

12. How do you measure ROI?

If you don’t keep score, how do you know where you stand? There are lots of soft analytics you can use: Sentiment (how do people feel about the brand), amount of followers, retweets, Facebook comments, blog traffic, website traffic, etc. However, remember the hard analytics are what ultimately matters on the finance sheet: Amount of new (for example) email subscribers from social which led to sales, total sales BEFORE social media vs. % increase after using it (remember no magic pill here so allow a few months before you have measurable results).

13. Do I need a social media plan written down?

Hopefully the answer here is yes. With deliverables, goals, room for experimentation, and more.

14. Can you give me some examples of how we could generate PR using social media?

If the words that sound anything like “traditional press release” rears its head here, run away. Online relationships (with bloggers, media sources, etc.) are a different breed all together and based around genuine caring, relationships AND business.

15. Is social media free?

The classic trick question!

Yes, the services are free to use. However, no matter how much automation you put on them (if you choose to), there is an investment in human time. Unless your time is free. In that case, contact me at David AT DSGagency.com because we are hiring.

Wrapping It Up:

Bottom line is social media, innovative marketing and everything in between is quickly changing and evolving. Nothing is set in stone, but best practices are starting to evolve out of this wild wide west of social marketing and more importantly the bigger picture of online marketing. There may not be a perfect consultant or a perfect strategy, but finding the right person for you and your business will be an invaluable resource for the future of your company.

What do you think? What questions did I miss?

This short video was inspired by a few conversations today in response to the “10 Big Marketing Predictions For 2010” and the need for a little more clarification on #6 Death Of The 30 Second Ad (By the way thank you everyone for helping spread this idea…nearly 600 Tweets, I’m humbled).

In my opinion, an integrated approach to marketing in 2010 is going to be the key to success. Combining video, content, social media and more.

What are your thoughts?

What is Marketing in 2010 going to look like?

What kinds of new marketing ideas are you going to try?

The first telephone came out in 1875. It started becoming popular in the 1890’s. Social media sites have been around since the early 2000’s (although the term “social media” was coined closer to 2006) and is clearly on a major rise especially with Facebook announcing they have reached 350 million users yesterday. That is nothing to sneeze at.

Social media is not a quick fix for business. It is a marathon of connections…not a sprint.

Social media sites are amazing tools, but maximizing the tools is a whole different story.

When the telephone first came out, I’m sure it faced some of the same problems social media is currently plagued with (some of these are a little exaggerated but you get the idea).

1. The telephone technology surfaced.

2. Everyone questioned it (“Why would I want to call someone when I could ride my carriage over to see them? It doesn’t make sense!”)

3. Early phone adapters started using it…but could only talk to each other since they were the only ones with phones.

4. Businesses were excited to use the telephone, knew it was important, but didn’t have a plan or strategy. Early phone adapters and consumers were upset about the annoyance of some businesses not using the phone “properly”.

5. Annoying people also started using it as a quick fix (Think really bad tele-marketers and those terrible recorded messages that make everyone hate the company).

6. The rise of “phone experts” who simply owned a phone and charged shillings for insider secrets.

7. Phone features are added eventually (long distance, area codes and in more modern times call waiting and caller ID).

8. Eventually, through trial and error, phone etiquette takes shape (“When you call someone, say hello!”), best practices (Don’t call after 10:30 PM!)

9. The telephone becomes mainstream (This may or may not happen with current social media sites…but I can guarantee the social web is here to stay)

10. The next hot thing surfaces which is slightly different, yet revolutionary (The “car phone” and cell phone).

What do you think? Will social media reach the heights of mainstream? How would you define mainstream?

While there are many incredible resources, books, tools, strategies, there are no magic potions for becoming a better entrepreneur and marketer.

The closest thing I’ve encountered to a magic potion is this: Want to be a better marketer/entrepreneur? Simple solution: Hang out with better marketers/entrepreneurs.

Extremely successful entrepreneur and founder of Quick Sprout Neil Patel lives by this philosophy.

I know a key to building my business was making the decision to follow, interact, pay attention and literally just hang out with people I aspired to be at a similar success level as including Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Guy Kawasaki, and Gary Vaynerchuk.

(I was lucky enough to interview Chris and Gary this past year for you right here in our entrepreneur and marketing interviews and hopefully Guy and Seth this upcoming year)

Here are a couple of quick action steps you can take.

1. Identify a few key players in your niche that are uber-successful. If you are looking for a few ideas, here are 35 Unique Entrepreneurs That Are Changing The Business World And How To Get In Contact With Them.

2. Start following them on Twitter, reaching out, introducing yourself.

3. Even if they can’t physically be there, pretend they are in the room with you like a trusted friend.

Every relationship usually starts with a hello.

(Oh and thanks to jessandco, LisaRangel, KelvinParker, DeanSoto, concarjess3, ribeezie, meporter, erikeitel, 2BSMARHT for retweeting the original quote I put out on Twitter about this very subject)

The Background:

Jason Nazar just gets it.

The short of it is Jason knows how to raise a ton of money and create memorable products.

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Jason through Neil Patel (who is an amazing connector bringing entrepreneurs together) and sat down for a two-part interview via Skype to discuss the art and science of raising money.

His latest venture Docstoc, a one-stop resource for pretty much every document you could ever crave, want or need,  has raised over 4 million dollars in OPM (Other People’s Money) and Jason has some insider information on how you can market yourself and your business to raise money even in the tough economy.

Raising Money Is Marketing:

This interview got me thinking even more about how marketing really is everything. Even when it comes to raising money, you must market and promote yourself and your business correctly, or wallets will stay shut.

Enjoy and of course let us know your thoughts below.

Connect With Jason

Oh and of course you can connect with Jason in a few ways.

First off, check out Docstoc. An amazing resource of (mostly) free documents, tools, resources. I mean it literally has EVERY kind of document you would need from sales plans, NDA letters, marketing plans, etc. right at your fingertips.

It is like a delicious secret library of all the business resources you could even want…except it is not a secret with several million monthly page views.

Second, Jason blogs. And he knows what he is talking about.

Third, hunt him down and stalk him on social media sites like Twitter.