August 2011
1 post
Augmented Reality Kills The QR Code Star | Fast...
via fastcompany.com Go Fast Company! Go! Posted via email from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
November 2010
2 posts
Change: Lessons on What's Next
via entrepreneur.com Here’s an article by Brian Solis (briansolis.com) about three serious innovative thinkers. These guys take a simple idea and dig down deep. They are thinking small…how to connect with friends…how to accept credit card payment anywhere…tell your friends where you are… These are small, local, single little ideas that have ended up changing the way...
Elevator Speech Examples - The most common...
Once Again! Jerry Smith tells it like it is. Take a minute and go to his Ezine Article (see the link below). Jerry is all about keeping your elevator speech relevant, personal, and real. You should also Friend Jerry Up on his Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/marketingactionclub Go to any networking event and you will hear them – elevator speeches. They are the staple of...
October 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Small is Beautiful
Small numbers are important. Online Marketing…Emerging Media…Social Network Marketing…has for too long been focused on the “top of the funnel”, or the big numbers. I don’t care about the big numbers…and if you have a business … and if you have decided that emerging media is important…and if you are looking for a metric to measure… and if...
How admin privacy works on Facebook Pages (video)
via johnhaydon.com Page and Profile privacy on Facebook! Here is another nice video from @johnhaydon … Thanks John! John, as always, keeps the focus on using the tool in your hand correctly. Interact and connect…this is now your job. Try hard not to get too scared about interacting with your supporters…It is well worth it! Posted via email from Brain Bucket Tool...
August 2010
1 post
"How to Handle an Employee's Controversial Online...
This article is from Sharlyn Lauby from Mashable (just click on the VIA openforum.com). Super good and useful stuff! Even though common sense SHOULD be a guide for folks making comments online…one person’s common sense is another’s “holy crap! I can’t believe you just did that!” Social Media tools are becoming more and more essential for business. And...
July 2010
2 posts
Scramble For The Future... Support the Kids at...
Gordon Parks Elementary School is the beneficiary for this event. Altrusa is an international service organization, and their Kansas City chapter has supported Gordon Parks for many years. Please take a minute to learn more about this event, and consider putting together a foursome. You can learn more about Gordon Parks Elementary School at their website: Gordonparks.org Altrusa...
7 Reasons Social Media Just Isn't Working for You...
via mediaemerging.com This is a blog post from Media Emerging…click on the “via media emerging” link to read the whole thing. It is very good! Managing expectations, and getting people to really hear you when you say, “this takes time and effort!” is a big challenge. I focus on the merits and power of the indirect route to interaction and engagement. Let’s...
June 2010
7 posts
OMG the Vuvuzela Really IS Powerful |...
Read Dave Svet’s Article OMG The Vuvuzela Really IS Powerful Thanks David! I hate those horns, and love your B-flat information! Posted via email from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
Emerging Media Toolbox On LazyFeed →
I love this tool! It is called LazyFeed and you can create “channels” of feeds and share them. You “post” to these channels by making a comment or observation about other’s blog posts. Here is the widget for my LazyFeed.
Now…if I could only edit the width of this widget so I could display it in the narrow sidebar on my Tumblr theme…I would be over ...
YouTube Blog: Edit video in the cloud with the...
via youtube-global.blogspot.com OOOHHH…now this looks interesting. Edit your videos “in the cloud” … without having to have a lot of expertise… Has anyone tried this out yet? Posted via web from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
How CEOs are Using Social Media for Real Results
via mashable.com From Sharlyn Lauby at Mashable is a nice blog post about how C-Level folks are using Social Media. These are people who demand real results. One of the standout points from this post is that engagement can have other benefits and can result in something valuable other than a sale. Of course, the sale or signup or customer in your door is the ultimate end result we are looking...
Social Media Measurement Should Focus on Outcomes,...
via veryofficialblog.com What a terrific blog post and video. Please take a few minutes to digest the information here! One of my favorite take aways from the video is the idea that you can’t Pay to Play anymore…You have to actually PLAY to PLAY. The first example in the video is Gary Vaynerchuk. He built his success through intense, personal interaction. And he does it EVERY day. ...
4 tags
Current Project: Topeka Subways
Buying a sandwich from Subway isn’t really something you make big plans to do. I’m hungry, I want to eat healthy, I see a Subway…I go get a sandwich.
I like the way you can see the ingredients, the way the people there…The Sandwich Artists…care about what they make for me.
Brain Bucket is currently working with the great folks at Topeka Subways, Emporia Subways, and...
2 tags
Brain Bucket Toolbox Blog →
Posterous is a very cool blogging tool that I like to use. The Brain Bucket Toolbox is where I take a look at what should be in your toolbox if you are a business and you are trying to tackle marketing online.
May 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Google Search Gets a Major Overhaul
via mashable.com
Here is a quick review of Google Search and what is new.
Check out the left hand navigation and Google’s work to make search a more “unified” experience.
I am sure that there will be a Facebook group soon… “bring back old Google” … but I think that change and a focus on simple design and presentation + making search more about ME and...
3 tags
How Facebook Community Pages Undermine Nonprofit’s...
If you maintain a facebook page for a company or a non profit…you need to take a look at this article. You need to know that Facebook is reshaping how it ranks and displays search results. You need to know that ANYONE can set up a “community page” with some variation of your company’s name in it. I will post more strategies and possible solutions as I find them....
April 2010
7 posts
Facebook's Open Graph Personalizes the Web
via mashable.com Facebook is aiming to connect your business with the social web. Check out these announcements they just made regarding features and new additions. I know people are concerned about security with these new products…so protect yourself. Do you KNOW what is public and what is private on your profile right now? Do you know how to find out? I will post some quick hints in the...
2 tags
Social Media Marketing: 5 Steps to Tell if Your...
via cerconebrown.com I love this list! Thank you to Business@level6…#4 is really important! But so is #5…I can’t guarantee what will happen, because your emerging media plan is only going to bring people to your door…what you do with them once they raise their hand and say they are interested in your service is what YOUR company is all about! Posted via web from...
5 Unique Ways to Use Twitter for Business
**This series is supported by the Social Influence System and WE twendz™ pro, presented by Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. To learn more visit Waggeneredstrom.com/nozombies.
Customer service, recruiting, contests, giveaways and promotions — these are all standbys for businesses using Twitter as a medium to connect with customers and fans.
Given that Twitter as a platform supports nearly limitless...
3 tags
See How Far Your Twitter Efforts Reach
Here’s a cool little tool I have been using recently. Tweet Reach Type in your account name, a url, a keyword or phrase, and it will show you how far the last 50 tweets with your search term in it have “travelled” Who cares? What does this tell you? Why would you do that? You should care, because Twitter isn’t about the number of people you follow…or the number...
2 tags
HOW TO: Clean Up Your Facebook Profile
via mashable.com Here are some nice, useful tips on how to use your Facebook profile in different ways, clean up what you see, and refine what your friends / followers see. This is for your personal profile. However, as Facebook gets used more and more for business, these tips will come in very handy. Please add others here if you have something you do. Thanks! Posted via web from...
Online Monitoring: Twitter Tool Usage for your...
Online Monitoring is important.
And it takes a lot of work. And it requires you to be more transparent and to put you and your company out there more than you have in the past. This can be scary, but I think the alternatives are scarier.
Here are a couple of tools and ideas about how to use these tools.
“Online Monitoring” is a term I use to describe one piece of what I can do with...
3 tags
Where Does Emerging Media Intersect with SEO?
Maximizing Go-To-Market Strategies For SEO Working for startups and companies launching new products, features, and verticals consistently makes it very important to ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck and not make startup seo mistakes that many others make, including fortune 500 companies. The point is, you want to leverage the most out of the buzz, the press, the...
March 2010
2 posts
Beginning Emerging Media Suggestions - LinkedIn
I had the great pleasure of presenting at The Brookside Business Development Team’s quarterly gathering today. The combination of retail shops and service-focused businesses in this neighborhood makes Brookside a unique challenge to those who are looking for more effective ways to connect with and engage customers.
I was asked to give 3 to 5 quick “what should I do’s” for...
3 Sad Stories about Your Non-Profit | Brazen...
via brazencareerist.com Chas Grundy has a blog called “Brazen Careerist.” I like to put this post in the “work smart not hard” file. I think these three sad stories highlight areas for the creative business person to find a way to connect with, help and work for non-profits. Just like all of us, people who work at Non Profits need help, encouragement, connections, and...
February 2010
2 posts
Google Analytics for Facebook Fan Pages - PHP, Web...
via webdigi.co.uk Posted via web from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
What are fundraising widgets and how can...
via johnhaydon.com Posted via web from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
January 2010
6 posts
Practice Makes ... Business
“We’re Talking About Practice. Practice?” I love practice. No pressure…just repetition and time to think about your game. No mistakes…just a place to learn more. No choking…just the work you do in order to get better. When I was coaching my son’s First grade soccer team, we had awesome practices. Some of the kids said they liked my practices more than...
Go Ahead and Be Lazy! How to Use LazyFeed to Bring...
Today is a Tactics kind of day at The Brain Bucket Toolbox. I have been on a big strategy kick lately. Find your target market. Participate in your own marketing. Find more people to engage with. So today I will talk directly about one tool: LazyFeed And I will go over one way to use the tool. If you are a LazyFeed user, please share your own tactics, strategies, frustrations, etc. ...
The lesson from two lemonade stands
The first stand is run by two kids. They use Countrytime lemonade, paper cups and a bridge table. It’s a decent lemonade stand, one in the long tradition of standard lemonade stands. It costs a dollar to buy a cup, which is a pretty good price, considering you get both the lemonade and the satisfaction of knowing you supported two kids. The other stand is different. The lemonade is...
Thoughts About Bizarre Twitter Usage
Why do people forget how to act like people when they are behind the “screen” of a social media platform. Pick a tool, any tool, and you can find people acting bizarrely. Here are a couple of examples I have witnessed this week! 1) Twitter BIO field strangenessIf I met you in an elevator and we struck up a conversation, you would NOT answer my question, “Hey, what do you do for...
Silicon Prairie News – Highlighting and supporting...
via siliconprairienews.com Am I just a dork? How have I missed these guys. Great site. Great insight. And I love the midwest focus! Please read, watch and share. Posted via web from Brain Bucket Tool Box | Comment »
Five Reasons Why Your Company Doesn’t Need a...
via michaelhyatt.com Here is a blog post from a guy named Michael Hyatt. I have never read his blog before, but this is a great post. Trust your employees to behave themselves. I know there are a lot of examples of people not doing this. But if you are also involved in your own social media, then people will behave! I think the combination of personalizing your brand with having an overall...
December 2009
9 posts
Are You Thinking Like a Searcher?
You work hard. You have a business or you are planning your marketing for this year - and this is hard. I hope you are thinking about marketing online because you have a plan and you are searching for the RIGHT way to use emerging media tools to bring more people to your door, broaden your base of donors, recruit new real estate agents. As you put together your marketing plans, you might be...
Twitter Isn't About What You Had For Breakfast...
…Even When You Tell Me What You Had For Breakfast. I had a conversation with a friend the other day about Twitter. He said he thought Twitter was a time suck…a waste of time. Now…I really like and respect this person. And for some people I suppose it is. But I also really disagree. So, I resolved to use Twitter in a really effective way. Here are a few things to try. You can...
Using Emerging Media to Engage Your Customers
So let’s say you read my last post and you have a simple plan.You can do a lot of stuff with a simple, clean plan. For me, my simple plan allowed me to focus MORE on engagement. This is what I meant with point number 2: WHO needs what you do?Something to think about: You can only find people who need you when you engage with a group.You can only find out what those people NEED when you...
In Praise of Simple
Simple is good. Simple is important.Simple is my theme for 2010. Usually when I announce that, my life gets complicated. So, I am really going to work hard to keep it simple. Anytime there is a choice in front of me, my criteria are going to be to evaluate how complicated is this THING going to make my life. Not so long ago, I had a LOT of things on the Brain Bucket plate. A partnership here, a...
2 tags
Why Facebook, Twitter and Google Are Your...
Until now the prevailing thought among non-profit marketing folks is that your website’s homepage is the primary target in most campaigns. Hence the focus on design, call to action and content. That was then, when the web was all push – all about destination sites. What is your homepage? When was the last time you went to the home page of a non-profit you were interested in...
The Nature of Tools and Your Creativity
I just had a thought about tools and our creativity. Often, tools allow us to be more creative. A tool isn’t ever purely utilitarian. My creativity and personal limitations are the only constraints. The catch is that I can’t be creative or innovative or make the MOST of the tool until I actually use the tool. So go use a tool. It might be a nail gun, or it might be a new aspect of...
8 Tips for Managing a Linkedin Group
via mashable.com Here’s a blog post from the Mashable Blog about setting up and managing an effective LinkedIn Group. Share and comment on this. I encourage most of my customers to do this if it fits in the strategic plan. Please share an effective LInkedIn Group you are a member of. For example, I like HubSpot’s Inbound Marketers and The Kansas City Arts Community. Posted...
LinkedIn is a back alley that used to be kind of...
Ok, so I resolved to use the Tobin Truog LinkedIn profile more than I usually do this week. And it didn’t happen. Somehow, it is a back alley in my social media world. For me, it’s one of those alley’s or side streets that I thought was really cool when I first found it and started going there, but now I go back and it just doesn’t quite measure up to the other tools I am...
Four Areas To Focus On
I always try to sub-divide efforts into smaller, bite-sized pieces. That’s just the way my brain works. I see things from 30,000 feet, and then I look for natural divisions. That’s sort of the way I work. It’s visual and it makes sense to me! Here’s what that means to working with companies struggling with Online Marketing. Website: Social Networking Online Monitoring ...
November 2009
1 post
New report suggests mobile customers are looking... →
Here’s the latest blog post from Dale Knoop, the President of Ruxter, a company I am really enjoying working with. Please take a minute to explore the Ruxter world!
Ruxter is a FREE .mobi website, 100 FREE texts per month in order to enable YOU to better connect with your customer base.
August 2009
6 posts
The Internet Strategist →
Here is a really well put together post on how to use LinkedIN as a Targeted tool for your small business, or a job search, or any of a number of goals. The big take away here: don’t go broad…go deep.
Which Tablet (PC) Will You Swallow--Apple's or... →
Connect With Your On-The-Go Customers With Ruxter... →
Thanks for the informative review of Ruxter’s service from Holden.
How to automatically feed your blog posts into... →
John Haydon always rocks. Once again he brings it with a video tutorial about how to feed your blog posts into your Facebook page.
Thanks John!
1 tag
Watchgary:
What I did last night…with Facebook What Facebook did yesterday by opening up their search is change the landscape of the “social trenches game”. With Far more users then Twitter ( but less public, for now) they have allowed people that want to engage like me to go in and search the key words in their lives and start to talk to people and make conversation, this has long been Twitter...
No Man’s Blog - The problem(s) with social media... →
Social Media is called SOCIAL media because it requires people to talk to people. THAT is what good participation is…it’s when you know about conversations / mentions re: your keyword or your brand because you are already in the conversation…you are already participating.