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| Everything I Know About Effective Blogger Outreach Posted: 25 Oct 2011 02:39 AM PDT Those of you who follow my tweets will probably know that I've recently launched a book called Get Noticed, which is a guide that explores the processes and techniques that successful networkers use to get noticed. In the course of writing the book I carried out a lot of research around how people meet and what it takes to develop a strong relationship, which has had a tremendous impact on my understanding of successful blogger outreach. On Wednesday morning I sent out 100 e-mails to YouTube video bloggers and so far I've received 77 replies (not bad when most sources suggest anywhere from 3% to 25% is a good response rate for an outreach campaign). In this post I want to share a few tips and tricks I've learnt about outreach from researching, writing and marketing Get Noticed to help you improve the success of your outreach campaigns. Image Credit: ekai I'm going to assume that you've already done some blogger outreach and know the basics like finding the right bloggers to target, personalising your e-mails, sending them at the right time and including obvious call-to-actions. This one's for the pros
What I Learnt About Blogger Outreach From Marketing Get NoticedA 5 second meeting in person is worth 100s of e-mails When contacting high-profile bloggers, a five second in-person introduction has an incredible impact on increasing the likelihood of that blogger helping you out. Busy people tend to use 'filters' to manage their time efficiently, and one of the major filters that busy people use is 'have I met this person in real life?' I cannot emphasise enough how beneficial it is to attend blogger conferences as a means for improving your outreach campaigns. Second to this, a simple tweet telling the person that you dropped them an e-mail seems to significantly improve response rates as it suddenly presents you as a real person in their world. Being 'real' to someone outside of their inbox is effective for outreach. Scalability is awesome IF combined with quality & selectiveness It's common sense that sending 100 e-mails is more effective than sending 10 e-mails, but there are two other parts to this equation: quality + selectiveness. E-mailing 100 bloggers is pointless if your product or offering isn't good enough. The key to getting a good response rate in an outreach campaign is to give the blogger an irresistible offering. I personally like to sit down with a pen and paper before writing an e-mail campaign and list every possible benefit that I can offer to the blogger, so that my e-mail naturally becomes focused around them and not what I want. Also, being selective can be very beneficial. Rather than e-mailing 100 Average Joe blogs, could you use the time spent contacting them to get featured on five or six major blogs that would then influence 500 bloggers to write about your product? If your product or offering is awesome, you should be able to get featured by high-profile bloggers. Picking up the phone is the most effective way to get what you want A pretty simple concept that I've talked about before; a phone call can sometimes take a little bit longer than an e-mail, but it gives you the ability to adapt to the blogger's immediate response, which is not something you are able to do over e-mail. If a blogger doesn't have a phone number listed, I'd recommend dropping them a tweet asking if it's okay to get in touch by phone with them.
Busy people are better at time management I remember reading an interesting concept in the book Predictably Irrational, which suggests that busier people tend to be better at responding to e-mails. The theory behind this is that busy people tend to be better at time management and actioning opportunities. When contacting people for pre-publication reviews of Get Noticed I was shocked to see the first replies come in from CEOs of major corporations and various New York Times Best-Selling Authors. Don't be afraid to contact the A-list bloggers just because they're 'out of reach', you'd be surprised at how accessible they are. What I Learnt About Blogger Outreach From Writing Get NoticedBe in the right place at the right time, all the time One of my favourite chapters in Get Noticed is 'How to Be in the Right Place at the Right Time, All The Time'. Most of us assume that when we we're supposedly in the right place at the right time, it was a stroke of luck. There is in fact more science and probability at work than we might immediately recognise. Lets break it down:
The first step to being in the right place at the right time, is knowing exactly what that place is. Who are the people you are trying to meet and where do they spend their time? If the answer is tech bloggers, then analyse where tech bloggers spend their time and be there. Attend technology conferences and meet-ups, write for the blogs they read, spend time in the cities notorious for tech blogging. Being in that place 'all the time' requires you to analyse how your time is spent and replacing the 'unsociable' hours with sociable hours. I met a lot of great people by being 'in the right place at the right time' whilst writing Get Noticed by writing the book in cafés and restaurants (a sociable venue) rather than in a home study or office (an unsociable venue). Broadly speaking, there are three main categories for how we spend our time: at work, at home, at hobbies. Working out how you distribute your time in each category and finding ways to make each aspect more 'sociable' can increase your odds of meeting more of the people who will help you. Understand and be sensitive to a blogger's accessibility Just like celebrities, bloggers are both accessible and inaccessible in different places. Understand where it is that bloggers are most accessible and use that channel to cut through the competition and get their attention. My experience has shown me that e-mail is relatively ineffective when contacting high-profile bloggers, when compared to Twitter and attending conferences, which are both channels where bloggers tend to be far more receptive. Some bloggers will openly state on their blogs how they like to be contacted, some will consciously or subconsciously design their site in a way that pushes you towards their preferred channel of communication (i.e. if they have their Twitter link or phone number at the bottom of every post and only a fairly hidden link to their e-mail on one page, you're probably best contacting them via Twitter or telephone!) Utilise your existing network When you do things for altruistic reasons it makes you feel genuinely good about yourself, especially if you've helped out a friend. Utilising your existing network is a powerful way to reach bloggers if your current network is likely to know the sort of people you need to meet. Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know that I ask for a lot of virtual introductions to new people who are relevant to what I'm doing. This works amazingly well, as I always link to those who help me out as well as those who I virtually meet in the blog posts that I write. If you need to meet sport bloggers, send a few e-mails to your friends or send out a tweet to see if anyone can help you out – don't feel like you're burdening your network, you're not, in fact you're helping them, too. Be likeable, genuine, and understand a blogger's motivations I receive a fair number of outreach e-mails to my personal website e-mail accounts, and the #1 reason why I don't reply to some of them is because they've forgotten to mention or outline what the benefit is to me. Why should I waste half an hour helping someone I've never met increase their rankings and profile by blogging about them? There are plenty of reasons, such as: it gives me extra content, I could receive affiliate commissions, a free product to test, promotion from their company's social media accounts or an invite to an exclusive webinar, but they rarely mention my motivations. Also, remember that only 7% of communication between humans is 'what you say', 93% of what you say is non-verbal communication, which means that if you're e-mailing someone, 93% of your communication is lost in translation as the recipient cannot see your body language, facial expression, and to some extent, tone. This means that you need to make 'what you say' compensate for the lack of non-verbal communication by ensuring that your tone is likeable and that the core message to your e-mail is genuine and honest. Further Reading on Blogger OutreachAs a special offer, SEOptimise readers receive a 15% discount when purchasing an eCopy of Get Noticed before November 1st. To get your copy visit WeGetNoticed.com and use the discount code ‘R3T1634N’ when checking out. I also recommend checking out James Carson's 12-step hustle process here and also giving this Dale Carnegie approach to blogger outreach a read. © SEOptimise - Download our free business guide to blogging whitepaper and sign-up for the SEOptimise monthly newsletter. Everything I Know About Effective Blogger Outreach Related posts:
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Seth's Blog : Memories of bitterness
Memories of bitterness
"I don't like that guy," she said.
"Why not," I wondered...
It turns out that she had done some business with him years ago and it hadn't gone well. When pressed, though, she couldn't actually recall what the problem had been, or how much financial or project damage had been done. All she remembered was that she didn't like him.
That's the way it usually is. You read those letters to the complaint columns in the paper or online, and the actual facts are often pretty trivial. What we remember isn't the financial hit, we remember the injustice, the disrespect, the way we felt at the time.
Your accountant might care about the facts. You, the marketer, need to care about the conversations and the memories.
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marți, 25 octombrie 2011
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
- Holiday Price Wars Begin Because "Price Matters"
- Greece Pension Plans Insolvent; No Conceivable Way to Make Promises; Can Spain and Portugal be Far Behind?
- Lines to Withdraw Deposits Queue Up as Run on the Banks starts in Greece
- Apply Enough Pressure, Something Eventually Breaks; Italy Government on Brink of Collapse
| Holiday Price Wars Begin Because "Price Matters" Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:03 PM PDT In yet another indication of a weak holiday shopping season, stores aim to outdo each other as shoppers focus on getting the best deals. This shopping season is shaping up into two key words "Price Matters" A week before Halloween and two full months before Christmas, stores are desperately trying to outdo each other in hopes of drawing in customers worn down by the economy.It is extremely rare to see shopping estimates lower than last year. That does not mean lower traffic and lower sales are written in stone, but that is the way consumer sentiment numbers and shipping stats are shaping up. For details, please see ...
Even if spending does not drop, expect profits to drop on reduced markups and increased discounts. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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| Posted: 25 Oct 2011 12:51 PM PDT I am attempting to figure out just how deep in the hole Greek pension plans are. I have not had any luck finding plans or asset holdings but there are a few things we know and some assumptions we can make. One of the things we do know is that Greek pension plans are one of the largest holders of Greek bonds. For the sake of argument, let's assume a 60% haircut on the value of those bonds although I believe that haircut will increase over time. The critical question is what percentage the pension plans hold Greek bonds, other sovereign bonds, Greek equities, and other equities. Here is a look at the stock markets of Greece, Germany, and France from the site Trading Economics. Click on any chart for sharper image. Greece Stock Market  German Stock Market  French Stock Market  Here are a few scenarios assuming the Greek pension plans are primarily weighted in Greek bonds. These scenarios may or may not be realistic. 60% Greek Bonds and 40% Greek Equities Down 60% on 60% and down 85% on 40%. Current value is 40% of 60% + 15% of 40% Current value is 24% + 6% = 30% Plan value is down 70% since 2008 60% Greek Bonds and 40% European Equities (weighted 50% Greece, 25% Germany, 25% France) Down 60% on 60%, Down 85% on 20%, Down 41% on 10%, Down 25% on 10% Current value is 40% of 60% + 15% of 25% + 59% of 10% + 75% of 10% Current value is 24% + 3.75% + 5.9% + 7.5% = 41.15% Plan value is down 58.85% since 2008 There are more than one Greek pension plan programs, but no matter what they are invested in, all of them have horrendous losses in the last few years. Moreover, the more the plans are invested in the Greek equities markets and Greek bonds vs. other European bonds and other European equities, the worse off those pension plans are. If the plans are primarily in German and French bonds as opposed to Greek bonds, the plans are in much better shape than presented in the above examples. If the plans are primarily in Greek equities they are far worse. To know just how badly underfunded the plans are, we need to look at individual plans, as well as pension plan assumptions. Greek citizens need to be told the truth regarding those pension plans, no matter how bad the situation is. Because of the holdings of Greek bonds, one thing I am sure of is the already crippled finances of Greek citizens are about to take another hit. I do not believe there is any conceivable way the promises will be kept even with agreed upon pension cutbacks. The answer to headline question "Can Spain and Portugal be Far Behind?" is no. It will become apparent as soon as there are haircuts on Spanish and Portuguese bonds (assuming it is not apparent already). Addendum: Please consider Funds, banks exposed to any Greek restructuring Greek banks are estimated to hold close to 20 percent of the country's estimated 327 billion euro sovereign debt, or nearly 60 billion euros. National Bank has the biggest share at 12.8 billion euros; the second biggest bank, EFG Eurobank, has about 7.4 billion euros, according to sources at the banks.Two-thirds in Greek bonds and US Treasuries, OK - Split how? Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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| Lines to Withdraw Deposits Queue Up as Run on the Banks starts in Greece Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:29 AM PDT With talk of 50% or 60% haircuts on Greek bonds, already mistrustful Greek citizens have queued up to pull deposits. Via Google Translate, The Bild reports Greeks Plunder their Accounts in Fear of Debt Cuts. Monday morning, 7.40 clock in the district of Athens, "Agia Paraskevi". We, the BILD reporters are witnesses, of a queue in front of a branch of the "National Bank of Greece" right after the opening at 8:00.Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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| Apply Enough Pressure, Something Eventually Breaks; Italy Government on Brink of Collapse Posted: 25 Oct 2011 09:20 AM PDT The EU has applied constant pressure on Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for more austerity measures, more reforms, and more loss of sovereignty. This prompted a humiliated Berlusconi who has enough problems of his own to launch a verbal attack on EU officials stating "No one in the EU can nominate themselves as special administrators and speak in the name of elected governments and the European people. No one is in the position of giving lessons to his partners". Today it should not be surprising to see the Financial Times report Italian government on brink of collapse Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition government in Italy appears in danger of collapsing over European Union demands for a demonstration of concrete action on economic reform by Wednesday's summit of eurozone leaders.Berlusconi Government Already Collapsed If you apply enough pressure long enough something will break. It already has. Berlusconi's coalition has failed, even though Berlusconi has survived several "votes of confidence". The opposition and members of the coalition are simply waiting for the opportune time to dump him. Giorgio Napolitano, Italy's head of state, a figurative position, warned Berlusconi to adopt the "new decisions of great importance" that he had promised. The Financial Times comments "Mr Napolitano, strongly pro-European and one of the few remaining Italian politicians to command widespread public respect, dismissed complaints of loss of sovereignty as irrelevant, noting that Italy had accepted limits to its sovereignty when it became a founding member of the European Union and later in joining its single currency." Insufficient Votes How do you adopt "new decisions of great importance" when the votes are not there? Italy desperately needs pension reforms and an increase in retirement age. However, the time to work out such problems was when the Eurozone first formed. Now these structural reforms, forced austerity measures, and most importantly need to obtain common fiscal agreements come at a time of of political strife and a recession. Together with massive problems in Spain and Portugal, an unworkable EFSF (whether leverage is used or not), and recent decisions by the German Supreme Court, it is only a matter of time before the Maastricht Treaty itself collapses as unworkable. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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