Bridging the Gap Between Digital and Traditional Marketing with @MitchJoel [@InboundNow #11]

Friday, March 11th, 2011 at 10:02 am

mitch joel Bridging the Gap Between Digital and Traditional Marketing with @MitchJoel [@InboundNow #11] In episode 11 of Inbound Now, we are joined by Mitch Joel. Mitch is the president of Twist Image, an avid blogger, podcaster, and author of Six Pixels of Separation.

During our chat we talk about:

Bridging the gap between digital and traditional marketing.
How he leverages his podcast to grow his agency
Tips on creating remarkable content

Enter to win a copy of Mitch’s Book!

For the full transcript and audio from the show head here: Connecting Digital & Traditional Marketing Channels with Mitch Joel

Different Channels Function in Different Ways

Digital is not a catch all, their is still some validity in tying in traditional channels into your digital marketing mix.

“I think the reason we have multiple marketing channels is fundamentally because they function in different ways, and they attract different audiences at different times and different moments in their lives. We tend to look at digital as this sort of like strange catch-all where it will do everything and solve all the problems and get us away from all the other stuff.”

Tying together a cohesive strategy with an outlined goal is key.

“Your strategy needs to tie into their business objectives and all those nice ROI things that we keep hearing about in the world. … whether it’s acquiring customers, whether it’s a cost-per acquisition strategy, whether they’re looking to create brand affinity or awareness, whether they want to build a loyalty and retention program.”

Where to Start?

“Making your brand as sharable and as findable as possible is probably the best advice I could give someone just starting out of the blocks.”

Companies should be thinking about what content they can publish to help solve their target market’s problems and become the go to resource in their industry.

Just Because Everyone Has an Amp Doesn’t Mean They Know How to Play Guitar

The mindset of just because everybody can blog or have a blog doesn’t mean you’ve got a lot of people who are great at blogging. I think part of it is understanding your skill sets and where you come from and what you’re trying to accomplish with all of these things. I mean, fundamentally, what we’re talking is a shift away from being a marketer and a shift more towards thinking like a publisher. That, in and of itself, is really challenging. Now, it would only be challenging if you had one way to publish text or images or video. It becomes increasingly more challenging when suddenly it’s about text, images, audio, video, instantly and pretty much for free to the world.”

Anyone can publish content, the question is how do you make sure that it is remarkable enough for people to share?

Play to Your Strengths

If you are good on video, create video. If you are more comfortable doing audio, go with that. Play to your strengths and don’t force something you may not be good at.

* But don’t let this stop you from trying new things. No one is a pro at any of these when starting out. Try, try, and try again.

Experiment with different channels you may not be familiar with and see what happens, you may surprise yourself.

What is the Secret to Good Content?

Be interested. Mitch gets his blog content from listening closely to the space and thinking about things even outside the realm of marketing in a different way.

Having the ability to notice things that others don’t and pulling in new sources can be a huge advantage.

Taking a different slant on a story can help break through the clutter of “me too” blogging.

Write Great Headlines

The first thing people see within social media is your post’s headline. If the headline is weak and not eye catching, it will get lost in the stream.

Next time you are at the super market, take a look at the magazine covers for headline inspiration. Also, check out Copyblogger’s fantastic magnetic headlines series

How Mitch Used his Podcast to Grow his Business

If you are willing to try something different, audio can be a great device in delivering that. His podcast has helped his company Twist Image grow their thought leadership and stand out in a crowded space.

The show helps prospective clients realize “that this agency (Twist Image) has a passion and desire to not only help themselves grow but help the industry grow and that they are walking the talk”

Marketing Books That are a Must Read

Linchpin by Seth Godin
Permission Marketing by Seth Godin
Survival Is Not Enough by Seth Godin
Web Analytics An Hour A Day with Avinash Kaushik
Reimagine by Tom Peters
Life After The 30 Second Spot by Joe Jaffe
The ClueTrain manifesto
Call To Action by Bryan Eisenberg
Waiting For Your Cat To Bark by Bryan Eisenberg

How to Start Podcasting

Try an internal podcast first to get some practice.

Getting a feel for how the show will run and a sense of the editing process will make the public facing show much smoother.

Listening to yourself on audio or watching yourself on video can be wierd at first but it will help you tighten up the show and make it better for your viewers/listeners.

If you are trying to get a grip on any of the technical elements of producing a show, check out YouTube for some great tutorial videos on a variety of different softwares.