According to this awesome Roland Emmerich documentary I just watched, the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. If John Cusack participates in a Mayan end of days depiction, you know it’s the real deal. Just like Say Anything.
We here at Copyblogger are keeping our heads together in the face of this news and will continue doing our level best to help you accomplish your business goals before the floods arrive and Los Angeles turns into a molten field of flaming limousines.
What better way to start 2011 (and give the fates the finger), than with a handful of useful predictions of our own? It’s time to get to work friends, and here’s a few thoughts on what’s coming up…
In this episode Brian and I discuss:
- Is blogging dead? The definitive answer…
- Why building “an app for that” shouldn’t be your first priority
- How to skip advertising on bus stop benches and get your customers to come to you
- Why the web is no longer merely a stepping stone to “bigger” things
- How to avoid becoming a digital sharecropper
Hit the flash player below to listen now:
Other listening options:
- Click here to download the mp3 | 37.3 MB | 31:05
- Click here to subscribe via iTunes
- Click here for the RSS feed (non iTunes)
Want to discover the smartest ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO? We’ve got you covered with Internet Marketing for Smart People. It’s a FREE 20-part course and email newsletter that delivers the techniques and strategies you need to know as an online marketer.
Links from the Show:
- Content Marketing 101
- Trend Watching: Generation G
- How to Get More Subscribers for Your Email List
- Actually, Blogging *is* Dead
- How to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly (And Keep Your Readers Happy)
About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s Chief Copywriter and Resident Recluse.
Reader Comments (27)
Blogging is not dead..believe it or not we have probably only uncover bits of the surface..I think we have more places to go and more things to discover.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Robert,
I noticed that you’re quite well ranked on iTunes for your podcast – did you do anything specific to do that? Or is it just a natural extension of being associated with the ‘Copyblogger’ name?
TIA.
Paul
PS be listening to the podcast later waiting for the kids to finish their karate lesson. Looking forward to it.
Hey Paul,
Good question man. The short answer is:
1. The years of great, hard work Brian and Sonia have put into Copyblogger (and the resulting trust, audience, authority, and everything else we talk about every day around here).
2. Putting on the best show we can. You can get people to come around with #1 up there, but to make it worth their while to stay around and engage, well, it’s got to continue to be worth their while. No rest for the wicked, etc. 😉
Hey Robert
Thanks for the answer – any chance you can persuade Brian to do an article in the near future on what effect the Podcasts have had on the Copyblogger audience. I’m sure I’m not the only one interested!
Paul
Facebook and other social networking sites have their place but content on the ‘net is the main thing. The latest Pew Report says that more people turn to the internet for information. Yeah, social networking can build authority but you are subject to another’s whims and caprices.
So much to think about in today’s broadcast.
Brian:
SEO, direct response, viral marketing, etc., are all alive and well. And like you mentioned – they really aren’t different from traditional marketing. I use SEO, direct response and viral marketing, to attract clients. But you also find me using cold calling. I know other freelancers that do this also. In fact, author Peter Bowerman uses cold calling for over 20 years to get clients.
Mobile has yet to explore its full potential. I’m looking at a mobile app that connects to a corporation’s document repositories (i.e. CMS, DMS, etc.). Mobile continues to amaze me. And here I am – a former Motorola cell phone software engineer.
Good program, Brian. The WP Touch is a great plug-in (i.e. mentioned in one of your posts). If Email marketing is dead, then why do companies like Constant Contact, Aweber, etc., continue to advertise? I’ve even seen them advertise on TV recently.
Randy
Hey Brian,
Love your take on “building an app for that”.
It makes sense that email marketing is still effective – if Facebook is adding more email functionality (run by “the man of the year” I might add), then surely we’re on the right track…
I also like the way you point out that our free content is our primary platform.
It is interesting, though, to think about what will be happening with email marketing (if anything) as those “20 somethings” become more and more involved online.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks!
The message of not just sharing content, but also building it is so key to success. Sure you can make some money referring people to affiliate sites and building credibility as a resource, but if you mix this up with actually creating content then you will become an expert in your niche.
Chris “The Traffic Blogger“
I have not had the chance to listen to the podcast yet but I definitely will tonight.
As for 2011 I think we can definitely expect social media to stick around and remain a major player in the marketing field. While social media has grown huge over the past few years, I still think we have just scratched the surface on the capabilities. Many companies still have yet to create social media accounts so from a business standpoint theres plenty of room to grow.
I have also read that mobile phones and the mobile web will be HUGE in 2011. Many are saying that as much as mobile phones have advanced in the last 5 years we are about to see things never imagined. I suppose only time will tell.
Back to the social media though, we just did a blog post this morning about tips for your social media campaign for 2011 and how to stay on track. You can check it out at http://blog.moscreative.com
-Nick
MOS Creative
blog.moscreative.com
Interesting to see how generational changes will affect marketing. For the foreseeable future, the Boomers and younger are still using email, even if the 20 somethings aren’t.
I like your lead-in with End of Days in 2012; unfortunately we’ll be seeing more and more about that for the next 2 years.
It’s just a great time to put my head down and stay focused on what I want to accomplish!
Michael
My guess is that 20-somethings will adopt the email habit once they have jobs that involve getting a lot of email. But obviously, if something comes across that actually replaces email, you adapt. The tools change, the underlying principles don’t.
“We here at Copyblogger are keeping our heads together in the face of this news and will continue doing our level best to help you accomplish your business goals before the floods arrive and Los Angeles turns into a molten field of flaming limousines.”
This was written with sarcasm or … ?
I’m pretty certain he used a keyboard. Although some of the new touch screens are pretty nice, too.
What a coincidence, today I heard at the radio that 2012 is the “most unrealistic sci-fi movie”, according to the NASA 😀
Great Idea, downloading the mp3 while writing this! 🙂
Phil
Love the comparison to Kayne West….he is already producing content so just social media can work.
I appreciate your view on creating your own app, that answered a few questions I had on the big app trend.
This audio series has become my favorite place to be on Weds.
Brian, you have a GREAT voice! Thank you for emphasizing the importance of CREATING content, original, authentic, powerful content, and that blogging is nowhere near dead – and thank you for not selling out on Copyblogger … My favorite line: “I am just getting started”….your reference to where you plan to take Copyblogger. BEST of luck!! And we’ll be watching and learning!
I think both guys have great voices 🙂
this is the first podcast i have listened of yours…its simply full of information i need….thanks a lot..keep up the good work….content = king = bread & butter
thanks for the itunes link, didi not know about the podcast, i spend all day at work listening to podcast, now yours will be one of them
I worry a bit about social media because there are so many players in the game. As more and more people start using it for their marketing, our Facebook feeds, for example, are going to be more ads than friends.
Of course, the best of the best will still survive, and that’s encouraging, but it’s going to be a major challenge indeed.
Dear Brian (or Robert or Sonia or John),
What’s your take on digital sharecropping (social, guest blogging, article marketing, etc.) being the front lines and pointing people to an email list?
So instead of a blog, there’s just a squeeze page to an email list.
Where does that fit into 2011?
Paul, the easiest way for me to answer that is that it is NO easier to build a list ON Facebook than it is off. It’s the same amount of work, so why would you build on Facebook’s “land” instead of building your own media asset on your own domain? Plus, you’re missing out on SEO, traffic from other social media platforms, etc.
Content is King. And it will remain so until the end of times.
A great talk that cut through a lot of the bullshit you read on so many other sites. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have clients ask how they can get X number of fans, followers, etc., but not understand that their customers don’t have a NEED to interact with them. They have no online content to share.
Very educational. I’m looking forward to learning more from Copy Blogger.
Brian, you’re such a hard man. You never answer my questions. But I keep reading your blog because it’s the best out there. And I especially like the podcast. I’ve learned more about Internet Marketing with this podcast than I have through a year of reading this blog. Something about the audio channel that just explains things so much better. Same goes for the Twist Image podcast. You can tell Mitch I said that.
We say it two-thousand eleven, not twenty eleven. Sorry Robert. I’ve gotten into deep arguments with my brother about this, but I’m right.
Next let me straighten YOU out Brian. You said that people age 24 and under don’t use email. Well it’s true of Patrick Scoble and a few others perhaps, but for serious entrepreneurs like me it’s not. I spend more time in Gmail than I do in Twitter. If you want to have a serious, meaningful conversation, email is still the best place for this to happen.
You guys are so lazy. You went two weeks without a podcast. And you never answer my questions. You better be glad I don’t travel through Texas very often…
Okay, you work your butt off. Whatever.
I just love copy blogger! thanks again for all the wonderful information
From my VERY limited experience, FB is a great place to buy well-targeted advertising (people outright TELL FB what their interests are!), but not so good for other commercial purposes. I have several e-mail addresses and no FB presence. I make it easy for people to contact me via e-mail and those who need to, do. E-mail for each of my blogs goes to its own address and I attend to the needs of each viewer in that context.
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