January 24, 2012 in Content Marketing, Marketing, Media, Media Orchard, SEO by Clay Zeigler
HEADS UP: A Content Marketing History Lesson from Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute just came to town to remind us that content marketing is not only here to stay, it’s been here for a long time.

As members of the Social Media Club of Dallas tweeted busily, Pulizzi introduced them to The Furrow, the quarterly journal of agriculture published in 12 languages and distributed in 40 countries by Deere & Company. It debuted in 1895.

“Brands have been publishers for a long, long time,” he said, before introducing a free 1905 recipe book featuring recipes for Jell-O. “We can do a lot of what media companies can do, and sometimes we can do it better.”

The key difference between the media and the marketers, he said, has been their monetizing method. While media companies look for advertising, marketers seek new customers. “Everything else is the same,” he said. Continue Reading

 
0
March 21, 2008 in Media Orchard, PR Agencies, Social Media Marketing by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
I Almost Forgot My Birthday: Media Orchard is Three

Wow, I was just shutting down the laptop for the week, looked at the calendar and realized it was the third anniversary of my first post.

It’s been a pretty wild ride when I think back on it. I started out kind of wishy-washy, not sure whether to use my “corporate voice” or my real voice. Ultimately, I settled on the latter, for good or ill.

I started out as an outsider, then hit it big for a while, then got bored and burned out, then decided to give it another go with a few changes in focus and format.

Now we’re back to a respectable Alexa ranking of 150,000, have about 1,100 RSS subscribers, and average about 40,000 unique visitors per month. (Sure, a lot of them are coming to see pictures like these, but they all count.)

So I’m glad that I’ve been able to stick with it. I feel like I’ve gone through a couple generations of blogging relationships, starting out with Steve and Jeremy and Shel and Todd D., and now interacting more with Geoff and Rich and Ike and Cam. There have been a few true blue types like Kevin and Kami and Alice and Bill and Todd A., too. I count all of you, and others out there, as good friends.

Next week (programmers willing), we expect to launch a full redesign for Spin Thicket. Before too long, you’ll see that site dwarf anything that Media Orchard has achieved. So I think the fun is just beginning.

Stay tuned.

 
January 26, 2008 in Brand Strategy, Media Orchard, Public Relations, Social Media Marketing by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
Here’s Why to Choose the Idea Grove to Help You with Social Media

1. We were the first PR firm in Dallas to “get it.” Scott Baradell started Media Orchard in March 2005 and grew it to become one of the top 3,000 blogs in the world as measured by Technorati. He followed this up in October 2006 by creating his own social news site modeled after Fark and Digg. Today, his firm places in the top search results for most terms that clients use in seeking a Dallas-based PR firm. We know how social media tools work because we’ve been using them ourselves for years.

2. We prove it by doing it — every day. We drive blog, social networking and SEO strategy for clients large and small. We’ve been helping clients with their social media programs for more than two years now; if you can find another PR firm in Dallas that can tell you that, be sure they produce evidence. We can.

3. We won’t beat you down with hipster pretense. We don’t do Buddy Holly glasses and all-black fashion ensembles, and we won’t talk down to you. Hipsters who try to wow you with jargon are usually just trying to cover for their own inadequacies — such as lack of real-world experience.

4. We know what it’s like to run large PR departments. Scott Baradell has served as vice president of communications for two different billion-dollar corporations. He’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on PR campaigns with firms like Fleishman-Hillard and Burson-Marsteller. He’s also seen the value in hiring small firms he can trust.

5. We know what it’s like to run startups. Baradell co-founded and raised $3 million in funding for his own venture-backed startup. He understands the challenges of building a business on a shoestring — and to have VCs always looking over his shoulder.

6. We believe in old-fashioned ways of demonstrating value. We don’t think much of vague objectives. We translate our efforts into results — like increased Web traffic, improved search position, you name it. We’re honest about what we can do for you, and we tell you how we’re going to get there.

7. We try to have fun. Life ain’t worth it if you can’t have an occasional laugh. Check out our social news site, Spin Thicket, to see what we mean.

8. Our phone number is easy to remember. It’s 972.235.3439. How hard is that? Just dial it so we can get started.

 
0
April 25, 2007 in Media Orchard, Social Media Marketing by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
Twitter Thought of the Day #4, by Media Orchard

 
0
April 19, 2007 in Media Orchard, Social Media Marketing by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
Twitter Thought of the Day #2, by Media Orchard

 
0