Weekly Marketing Skinnies are… back!
Quite a few of you managed to notice I was absent for a couple of months.
It’s nice to be missed, I tell ya!
And now it’s time to go back to school (parents, rejoice!), back to work, back to ‘normal.’
I’ve traveled a lot this summer – trips planned and last minute, but all equally enjoyable. Spending time with family is priceless; I am starting to understand it with every fiber of my being… must be getting old! ?
I also managed to break my wrist while… GASP!… gardening! Who says I don’t live on the edge!
Of course, my husband’s reaction to the incident was ‘And that’s why I don’t garden – it’s too dangerous!’ As if…
Also, one for the bucket list (told you, I am a daredevil – first gardening, now this!): this summer I jumped (was pushed?…) out of a plane!
As a matter of fact, this was the world’s HIGHEST tandem skydive – 18,000 feet above gorgeous Monterey Bay.
Even my broken wrist hasn’t stopped me…. however, common sense should have!
It was quite an experience to be quite honest with you. I LOVE impressing people with it, but truthfully, will never do it again. 😉
So now you know why I haven’t responded to your emails, blog comments, or social media interactions.
It’s not because I don’t appreciate you!
I am s-l-o-w-l-y catching up.
Now… back to business! Grab your cup of coffee and let’s catch up on the marketing news that matter to your business.
First, let me tell about the latest from Traffic Generation Café (I am the boss, so why not?…)
At TrafficGenerationCafe.com
5 Brilliant Ways to Go Blog-to-Video with Content Samurai [Review, Tutorial, Discount]
I didn’t mean to love you, Content Samurai… really didn’t…
What tipped the scale was trying to create the video tutorial from the post with Screenflow.
After days of recording, re-recording, editing all the um’s and oopsies, it still wasn’t good, the audio track was a mess, and the video was too long (because of all the blabbering… that’s my video ‘signature’ 😉 )
I scrapped all that and redid everything in Content Samurai – wrote up the script, took screenshots, recorded – took me about 2.5 hours to the finished product.
Search
Using Google Keyword Planner for keyword research? Bad news… Google Keyword Planner is now showing less traffic estimate data to most (?) users.
Social Media
Twitter released two new Notifications settings to combat abuse.
Ha! Twitter is rolling out a way for people to slap an ad right on the photos they post to its social network.
Which type of Twitter cards does better on Twitter: Photo Card or Summary Card with large image?
Pinterest has announced a few changes based on the user feedback they’ve heard.
A few shut-downs:
Hangouts On Air will no longer be available on September 12. Start using YouTube Live.
Blab has been shut down. For GOOD.
Few of us will cry for this one… Spammy social network Tsu shuts down.
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THANK YOU.
Marketing This & That
WordPress 4.6 “Pepper” is here.
Google announced Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app for everyone. Best part? It’s cross-platform…
Thank You
To all of you who mentioned Traffic Generation Café in any shape or form in the past FEW week, my whole-hearted THANK YOU.
Traffic Generation Café would NOT be what it is today without you.
And I am not the only one who thinks that, by the way.
Take a look at the comment Kurt Frankenberg of Shoestring101.com (one of my favorite blogs, by the way) left on a recent Weekly Marketing Skinny:
Here are just SOME of the mentions I came across in the past few weeks (yes, it’s been a while, so please forgive me if yours isn’t listed here!!!):
Ultimate Guest Blogging Guide: Journey from Zero to Hero – Yatin Khulbe at mushroomcontent.com
First Blog Post: The Definitive Guide [+63 Tips from Experts] – Michael Pozdnev at iwannabeablogger.com
How to Generate Leads Online Without Content Marketing – Jack Collins at startafire.com
Bidsy Podcast: Episode 039 – Rob Barisoff at bidsy.com
101 Tips From Top Experts On How To Start A Successful Blog – Raelyn Tan at raelyntan.com
63 Experts Share Their Best Email Marketing Tools – Julian Sakanee at bloggingaid.com
Blogging Motivation: 7 Things to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Writing – Deb Lee at dallisonlee.com
6 Surprisingly Simple Ecommerce Content Marketing Tips – Tony Messer at jeffbullas.com
How to Promote Your Blog the Right Way. 35 Expert Resources That Will Help You Explode Your Traffic – Marius Kiniulis at markinblog.com
How These Top 10 Female Bloggers Are Making From Their Blogs – Anil Agarwal at bloggerspassion.com
18 Content Marketing Blogs You Need to Follow Right Now – Benjamin Carter-Riley at successpromotions.wordpress.com
3 Proven Ways to Drive Massive Traffic to Your Blog Overnight – Shahzad Saeed at shoutmeloud.com
How To Craft The Perfect SEO Content (And Keep Google Happy) – Ashley Faulkes at madlemmings.com
The Frugal Guide to Content Marketing (Part 2): How To ‘Frame’ Your Content For Maximum Traffic – coredna.com
16 Simple Small Business SEO Best Practices You Need To Follow – Larry Maguire at larrygmaguire.com
100 Powerful Quotes from the World’s Top Internet Marketers – John VanDerLaan at jvanderlaan.com
35+ Bloggers Share Their Top Secret Strategies for Google+ Traffic – Minuca Elena at warfareplugins.com
Death to Content Vomit! How to Make Sure You Aren’t Just Spewing Content – Sue-Ann Bubacz at kathrynaragon.com
How to Make Money Blogging – Hint:Choose the Best Mentor – August J. Specht at tarbubbles.com
Have I missed your mention? Let me know in the comments!
Want to see your name here? Mention Traffic Generation Café in your next blog post!
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Don’t you hate that nagging feeling that every marketer around you knows something you don’t?
Chances are they know it because they are following my updates on social media.
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To an even better next week,
Thank You! My blogging dream has for the most part faded away. Then I received your August skinny and you have yet again provided so much quality relevant information that I cannot let my dream end. I truly believe that if I make the time, put forth the effort and digest the trust worthy information and guidance you provide, there is no reason why I will not succeed. Thank you for not being in it just for the money but truly helping others find success as well. You are unique and I hope you are rewarded with great blessings in health, relationships and your business.
? ?
I know exactly what you mean, Derek. Believe it or not, being in business for some years doesn’t exempt you from feeling like throwing your hands up in the air – just the nature of… well, our nature and being constantly faced with challenges and having to adapt.
My suggestion: decide WHY you are doing it.
Is it something you are really passionate about and just want to write to get it out? Would you blog even if few people ever read it? Then who cares – keep on doing it!
On the other hand, if you want to turn it into a business and it’s not working… then you need to stop what you are doing and find out what and why is not working. You might have to find someone who does consulting to sit down with you and help you see what you can’t, since you are too close to the project.
I wish you all the best – whatever the outcome, and feel free to ask questions!
Gardening more risky than skydiving?! Wow – I’ll still stick with fighting the ants then 18,000 feet of screaming for my Dad, 🙂
Thanks very much for the mention and the guidance. It is nice to not be alone in this blogging journey.
August
At 18,000 feet, whatever you are screaming about/at is between you and the wind. ?
And you are very welcome, August. I’ve been really enjoying getting to know you lately. ☕️
I think as long as the Google Keyword Planner exists in some form, I’ll be okay. I don’t know what I’d do if they got rid of it completely!
Why continue using a tool that might actually do you disservice, Dylan?
GKP almost never shows the most profitable keywords – the ones that are closely, but not directly, related to the topic. And now, with the traffic volume gone…
Came here immediately after receiving your newsletter to see that 18K feet jump. AWESOME !!! Would’ve been better if we could hear you scream after that jump instead of that music. 🙂
And I must’ve been sleeping under a rock, what happened to the Google+ comment system?
Thanks, Jesin! 😉
I don’t think I could hear myself scream at that altitude… but scream I did – a lot! Turns out you HAVE TO scream to get yourself to actually breathe up there. Screaming forces you to exhale and then inhale.
G+ Comments were gone a while ago – it was impossible to moderate them and/or get rid of spam. Native is still the best!
Good to see you back at TGC; have a great weekend.
Isn’t it interesting that we are noticed more by our absence that by our presence.
Welcome Back
Indeed, Peter; sad but true! And thank you.