Bloggers Arrive

Interesting that the 2011 Blog World Expo in New York is co-sharing the convention center with the Book Expo America at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Interestingly ironic and somewhat contradicting as digital media is increasingly competing with traditional print.

As I was making small talk with the lucky fella (or unlucky considering we both flew out of South Bend, Indiana and survived three cancelled flights and one half day late of a successful work day in New York) sitting next to me on the plane, I was telling him about this conference I was on my way to. He admitted that he was clueless about social media. iPod owner was the highest level he could mark on his digital development growth chart, in fact.

He shared that he was talking to his daughters, both tweens, about how the Gutenberg press changed the face of history. They laughed and told him the printing press is nothin' compared to the internet.

Digital bloggers + Book authors. United or divided?
A new twitter friend, @coffeewithjulie also known as Julie Harrison was tweeting about her *heavenly* experience at the Book Expo. When I asked her if she agreed that the digital and print realms were  A contradiction, she tweeted, "that the biggest names in social media are those with best selling books."
Many bloggers yearn to be in print to prove that they have arrived. Someday we hope that won't be necessary. The brand equity found through social media channels is more valuable than anything found on pulp, in my opinion that is. Both the digital and printed medias have a purpose in our lives.

As keynote speaker of the opening night of the expo and author of The Mirror Test, Jeffrey Hayzlett boldly phrased it, "I want a book online and in print so I can read it in the air, on the toilet, wherever the hell I want to."

It is fascinating to engage in this topic at a conference as these two worlds of storytelling and journalism collide, compete, coexist and continue to impact our communication and cultures.

Digital media has certainly impacted me. It has opened doors to opportunities that I would have never had with a telephone, pen and paper. Through twitter, I have met some dynamic individuals who educate me and inspire me. Heck, the last two gigs I've been fortunate to secure have come from twitter, including this assignment that I'm on as I report for Social Fresh on Blog World.  I've been able to have my voice heard and have made real connections from small rural Indiana.

And, here I am. At New York attending the Blog Expo. After three cancelled flights, as I walked into the Javits Convention Center to the VIP registration to pick up my press pass, I think to myself *I have arrived.* (finally.)

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The Agency of the Printed World VS. The Digital World

Earlier this week, we had a meeting with a prospect to discuss our Search Engine Optimization services. Although we don't have a commodity based pre-packaged service for this, it got us thinking about the wide range of solutions for businesses in today's digital era.

With the explosion of technology tools in the recent years, very few communications agencies are capable of providing full services to clients. The Midas Center started offering creative services to clients in 1999. At that time, print was still king and digital solutions like web sites, Powerpoint and pdf files were beginning to join the knighthood.

The number one King? The leader in the printed front? There was no such thing. It was a collection of tangible collateral like letterhead, brick and mortar office facades, business cards, printed new items annual reports, brochures, large display and trade show graphics and direct mailings, etc.

Since then, the print and digital solutions are equal components to businesses. Some businesses need to rely on the tangible and paper more, some businesses need to rely on the digital items for their marketing position, message and outreach. The marketing nirvana is reached when a perfect balance of printed and digital items are used.

Bottom line is this: You want your business to succeed. You have goals and resources. We ask you: Do you have a strategy, road map or blue print to lead you to success? Until you do, you may be seeking the wrong tool to reach that goal. Many of us might have a house that needs some updates, or a dream home we'd like to build. It isn't recommended to just waltz into Lowes and buy tools at random and just start building. Realize your goals, develop a strategy and execute it based on the resources like time and money you have. Perhaps you need a professional to help you with your marketing strategy, your branding platform, the campaign development to drive your message to your select audience. The communications agency you decide to work with should lead your communications plan along with you and not just tell you that you should hire their type of service exclusive to the overall objective your business seeks.

What are some of the areas of services a communications agency can provide to you?

In the printed, tangible world, you may need signage, annual reports, brochures, letterhead, business cards, advertising in newspapers or directories and any other items that may build your brand and naming recognition or generate leads and sales.

Digital solutions should serve the same purpose; that is to build a strong brand platform or generate leads and sales. In addition to reaching the same goals based on your budget, digital solutions can offer more, like be more cost effective, provide more tracking and offer more efficiency in your overall business administrative activities. Not only can digital marketing services help build a more robust web presence for your business' brand, it also includes so much more bells and whistles so that you can improve your techniques and see the ROI of your marketing activities.

What exactly are the digital marketing services that The Midas Center recommends? Is it in the area of social media or SEO? Sure. But we maintain the four cornerstones of our services stem from integrating Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Branding. The techniques, the tools, the best practices of growing your business will always change. The Midas Center continues to recognize the need to offer visual integrity (TM), effective communication in words and images and maintain the latest knowledge of technical know-how for our clients. We want to help clients succeed and we will provide as much as we can based on their budgets. We also provide training and coaching for clients so that they may manage their own online presence.

Sometimes, it isn't the message, it's the medium. We help clients with both the message AND the medium to get them where they want to be.

Special acknowledgement of photography to Amanda Nicolé Doty.

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