–> This Month’s Tip: Other Web 2.0 Sites, Part 1: Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to get visibility in the Web 2.0 world

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost, boosting your return

–> A Rare and Special Treat: Your Chance to Learn in a Small Group with the Inventor of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson–On the French Riviera

–>Finally–An E-Book Site Puts Authors’ Needs First
Writers: Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup fame) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at http://www.youpublish.com/referredby/shelhorowitz. No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–>The Impact Factor
I’ve blogged a couple of times about  Ken McArthur’s launch strategy for his new book “The Impact Factor.” Launch day is May 13, and I don’t have the URL yet. Look for a short announcement from me that day with the details.

–> Meet me this month in L.A.–or in Boston: Two publishing conferences in Los Angeles at the end of the month, in conjunction with Book Expo America. I’ve described them in detail here (scroll down to “Pre-BEA Seminars”).

Earlier in the month, on Wednesday, May 21, I’ll be doing a brand new talk on “de-cluttering your mind.” Here’s the description:

Overcome Your Mental Clutter
If anyone knows about mental clutter, it would be Shel Horowitz, copywriter, marketing/publishing consultant, environmental/political activist, ethics and frugality expert, and award-winning author of seven books (most recently, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers). Shel will address the challenges of
* Having too many interests
* Dealing with an average of 300 incoming emails each day
* Managing numerous simultaneous client projects and many more for his own business development
* Maintaining nine different websites, one of which orchestrates an international campaign
* Staying current on the multiple industries that comprise his diverse business
* Juggling schedules for a family of four who are all very busy

More information from Judy Stitt, 617-547-7453, jstitt (at) tekedit (dot) com

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer. If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues–but be respectful of the need to only pitch on-topic. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Just One Friend Who Wants to Give You Stuff
* Warren Whitlock’s How to Be a Bestselling Author Course (how to strategically leverage interest in your book)

–> For Parents…Are You Set Up Properly if Something Happens to You?
I’ve had a look at Wear Clean Underwear by Alexis Martin Neely, and I’m very impressed by her clear writing and her words of warning to parents: If you want a good outcome for your not-yet-adult kids in the event of your death, you need to prepare…NOW!

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Mark Joyner: Conversations with Bestsellers
This one you have to pay for. Internet marketing genius/bestselling author/philosopher of abundance and
social change Mark Joyner has released a set of audio conversations with other bestselling authors on how to
become one. Includes transcripts and various cool bonuses.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one–but I’ve heard about it for years:

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

The last two months, we’ve talked about social networking communities–places like Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, CollectiveX, Ning, LinkedIn, and literally hundreds of others.

But social networking is only one of many types of Web 2.0 sites. Any site that allows visitors to participate actively, and not just passively receive information, is a Web 2.0 site, and can be used in some ways for marketing purposes. Among the possibilities.

Your Own and Others’ Blogs

Blogs have several advantages over traditional websites. To name a few:

• They get into the search engines almost instantly (I once did a Google search for something I’d blogged about ten minutes earlier, and my blog post was there, on the first page of the results)
• It’s easy to increase the reach of a blog by feeding it to your social networking profiles
• You can set your blog to automatically ping Technorati and other blog content aggregators, so people will find you quickly if you blog about something topical and hot

Your own blog should be closely focused on the topic you want to promote. It’s OK to have an occasional post that’s off topic, but you’ll get much better results if you can stay on track. This is a challenge for me, so I describe my blog broadly: as covering “the intersections of ethics, politics, media, marketing, and sustainability–that’s big enough territory that I can ramble, and still be within that rubric.

Note: I strongly advise hosting your blog on your own server, and not on the software’s server

There are also other blogs I follow, and make public comments every once in a while. Posting on others’ blogs gets me known and respected by people I want to impress, exposes me to their fans, and also provides high-quality backlinks to my own various sites.

More kinds of sites next month.

If you are involved with a retail business, a community agency or nonprofit, a home-based entrepreneurial venture, an Internet business, or any other venture where you try to find markets for your products, services, or ideas–listen up!

Here’s a special half-price offer on Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, which was a Finalist for ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year Award, has been endorsed by Jay Conrad Levinson (author of the Guerrilla Marketing books), and praised in the national press.
(more…)

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost, boosting your return

–> A Rare and Special Treat: Your Chance to Learn in a Small Group with the Inventor of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson–On the French Riviera

–> This Month’s Tip: Marketing on Web 2.0 Sites, Part 2: Social Networking Strategies
Four easy and effective ways to connect on social networks

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer. If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Just One Friend Who Wants to Give You Stuff
* Warren Whitlock’s How to Be a Bestselling Author Course (how to strategically leverage interest in your book

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Mark Joyner: Conversations with Bestsellers
This one you have to pay for. Internet marketing genius/bestselling author/philosopher of abundance and
social change Mark Joyner has released a set of audio conversations with other bestselling authors on how to
become one. Includes transcripts and various cool bonuses.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one–but I’ve heard about it for years:

–> Hear and Meet Shel

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

Shel Horowitz’s Monthly Frugal Marketing Tip, April, 2008
Vol. 11, #11

In order to get much out of a networking site, you need to network. There are dozens of ways to do this, and here are a few.

1. Friending. Most social networks offer the option of sending a friend or business connection request–called “friending.” Start with friends, colleagues, relatives, people in nearby locations, and see where it leads. The cool thing is that when you “friend” someone, and they accept, you get to look over their friends and friend any that look interesting. Since I travel in marketing circles, I often find very good connections (industry leaders, gurus and such) within the friend networks of those who reach out to me. Almost as cool: every time you post something to your profile, all your connections get a notice about it. Note: You will get friend requests too. I say yes to most of mine if I can see some common interests–or if they respond appropriately to a note I send saying I don’t recognize them, how do we know each other or if we don’t, what led them to friend me?

2. Public messaging. One tip I picked up from Facebook guru Mari Smith: the social networks offer private and public message options. If you’re welcoming someone to the network or thanking that person for a friend invite, do it in the public comment space (like the profile or the wall) rather than in a private message. I usually include *one* link at the end of my post.

3. Interest groups. This is the 800-pound gorilla of successful social networking, and so far, relatively few people are taking advantage. Find groups that are relevant to your interests, your geography/history (e.g., your city, the schools you attended) and/or your business, and participate actively on a few of them (don’t forget that link at the end).

4. Requests for help. Ask questions about resources, tactics, suppliers. Answer questions in your field of interest. (LinkedIn is really nice for that).

P.S. If you’d like to friend me, here are my most active profiles.
Plaxo: http://pulse.plaxo.com/pulse/profile/show/128849525442/
Facebook shortcut: http://profile.to/shelhorowitz
LinkedIn: http://snipurl.com/1w1s3
CollectiveX: http://www.collectivex.com/network/show_profile/54661

If you include a message that you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll accept your request.

Correction: The Facebook group for reporter queries got too big for Facebook’s 1200-member limit. It now has its own website, and you can sign up to receive queries at http://helpareporter.com/

Note: Do NOT abuse this list. Only respond appropriately, and only to appropriate queries, or you’ll spoil it for everyone. You don’t want to get journalists mad at you, and nor do you want to get on the bad side of either Peter or me.

Next month: Other Web 2.0 sites

Shel Horowitz’s Monthly Frugal Marketing Tip, March, 2008
Vol. 11, #10

It’s kind of funny, but it took me quite a while to begin actually marketing on social networking sites. I’ve been on LinkedIn for probably five years, MySpace for maybe a year, and several others (Ning, Ryze, Eons, probably more I’m forgetting). But it was only when I joined Facebook in October, and then shortly thereafter found my way to Plaxo and CollectiveX that I finally started using them to really do some business.

It’s kind of odd that it took me so long because I’ve been marketing very effectively on their predecessors–email discussion groups or web-based forums and bulletin boards–for over a decade, and I first wrote about the idea of marketing online via many-to-many groups way back in 1991, when I wrote Marketing Without Megabucks.

And I freely admit there are bugs to be worked out. Some of the interfaces are confusing. I find that I see a screen and find two or three things I want to follow, and then after I’ve followed one I can’t always get back easily to the next one. The e-mail notifications seem to be very erratic; sometimes I’ll sign on and find a dozen posts I should have been notified about.

Yet in the few months that I’ve been participating actively, I’ve found that there’s a lot of good to be had. A few examples:
* I get notices from a Facebook group called “If I can help out a reporter, I will”–Peter Shankman, a well-known NYC PR, guy posts notices from journalists looking for sources. There’s a lot less competition from other responders compared to some of the other media services, and the price is right (zero). Very few of the leads are relevant to me, but if I get covered in even one major publication, that’s well worth participating.
* The owner of a large marketing agency on the West Coast had a long talk with me about the possibility of opening up an East Coast division for him. This is in the formative stages, but should it materialize, it would be a major step forward in my business. I met him on Plaxo.
* This same person connected me with a like-minded gentleman only an hour away from me. I’m scheduled to meet him in person later this month when he attends my speech. And all three of us have a number of ways we can co-market.
* Facebook allows me to post my blog into my profile, potentially exposing it to many, many more readers.
* When I post something to my blog that I think will be relevant to some of my social networking communities, I can post the link and a comment. I can also do this for links I didn’t write, but which others will find useful, and this boosts my standing in these communities.
* The France-based founder of two of the communities I participate on through CollectiveX had a long phone call with me, and will be looking for chances to bring me to Europe to speak at his conferences. And if that happens, I can finally bill myself as an international speaker (a goal of mine for several years).
* Industry experts who no longer respond to e-mail can often be reached through social network sites.

Next month: Specific strategies to use on social network sites

Maybe the stars are aligned differently, or something–I’ve got a ton of people wanting to give you stuff this month, both on the marketing side (including a couple of resources from some of the world’s top marketers that will really change the whole way you think about marketing) and for lovers of frugal fun. (more…)