Firepole Marketing Blog: Fresh Ideas and Fresh Starts – Best of the Web!

Fresh Ideas and Fresh Starts – Best of the Web!

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 05:15 AM PDT

Maybe it’s because ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ – and probably all the more because we have been busier than ever – but boy, summer certainly flew by for us here at Firepole Marketing!

With new projects and features on the blog and even a brand new podcast, we’re hard at work bringing you fresh and exciting content, and we even have a few tricks up our sleeves for the months to come.

For a lot of people, September represents a new beginning: time to ship the kids back off to school and re-enter the cycle of projects and productivity at work.

This month, we found this sentiment reflected in the blogosphere. We read a lot of articles centered on motivation and productivity, as well as cautionary and inspiring stories of new beginnings.

This month for our Best of the Web feature, we’ve got some great stuff for you, that we hope will inspire you to get motivated and get back into the flow of things.

Inspiring Anecdotes, Videos, and Pictures

Although a picture is worth a thousand words, a good story is an equally motivating force. Here are some multimedia posts that really moved us this month:

21 Signs That You Are Addicted to Blogging (For Bloggers By Bloggers)
The Man with One Leg (The Sales Lion)
Café Communications – Deadlines (YouTube)
23 Pictures That Say Stop Complaining and Start Creating (Coach Comeback)

Audience Building

If you’re a regular reader of Firepole Marketing, you understand the essential role that an audience plays in an online business. Here are some articles that will help you attract and engage an audience that sees and appreciates you for what you are worth.

The Challenge that is Building a True Online Community (The Sales Lion)
How to Turn a Small Blog Audience into Small Army and Four Ways to Become a Spellbinding Online Personality (Businesses {grow})
The Ancient Way of Becoming a Recognized Expert (Expert Enough)
The Importance of Influence in the Marketing Role (Bowden2Bowden)
Social Business: Love At First Sight? [Podcast] (Social Media Sean)

Good Foundations for Your New Beginning

Starting fresh can be an overwhelming experience, regardless of whether or not you are a seasoned entrepreneur. Here are some quick and concise tips and guides to help you kickstart your latest business or project.

A 10-Point Plan for Connecting with Online Influencers (Without Turning into a Suck-Up) and 7 Social Psychology Studies to Help You Convert Prospects into Paying Customers (Copyblogger)
58 Ways to Get Noticed as a New Blogger (BlogWorld)
How to Build Visibility for Your Big, New Project (Denise Wakeman)
5 Important Steps to Take Before You Publish an Article (Level 343)
Rule Number One: Throw Out the Rules (Robin Hardman Communications)
How to Blog Sensibly: A Business Blogging Checklist (Right Mix Marketing)

Engagement Tools and Techniques

The wealth of resources out there for entrepreneurs and small business owners is overwhelming at times. The worlds of marketing, blogging, social media and business in general are constantly developing, growing and shifting beneath our feet.

Here are some in-depth overviews of the latest trends to keep ahead of the game. Believe me, these are not to be missed!

25 New Social Media Conversion Resources You Shouldn’t Miss (Unbounce)
How Important is SEO? New Research + Infographic (Echelon SEO)
WordPress Gamification: Techniques, Examples and Free Plugins (WPLift)
The Email Frequency Myth Debunked (Dewane Mutunga)
Content Curation: The Ultimate Guide (Content Strategy Hub)
How to Convince People You’re Not Lying (And 3 Strategies for Doing It Online) (Social Triggers)

Visions of the Future

Successful online marketing strategy requires that you stay up to date with new developments. Here are some articles that will help you keep on the cutting edge by looking forward to the future.

Mobile Marketing 2015: Rethink Customer Acquisition, Intent Targeting (Occam’s Razor)
Are We Heading to a Post-Blogging World? (Social Media Today)
6 Ways to Raise a Rebel (Or Future Woman Leader) (Forbes)

Money Matters

Whether we like it or not, money is the driving force of many marketing efforts, and it is important to understand the value of what you offer. But when you are so close to your product or service, it can be difficult to step back and see its true worth. Here are some articles that offer pricing or finance insight.

The Dumb Pricing Mistake People Make (and How to Fix It) (Social Triggers)
How a Pay-What-You-Want Pricing Model Can Generate More Revenue (Copyblogger)
The Effects of Inflation and How to Prepare for It (PT Money)

Interviews and Kind Mentions

This month, I’ve been honored to participate in a few great interviews. Thank you to those who took the time to interview me, or kindly mentioned me in one of their posts. Enjoy!

Engagement From Scratch: Danny Iny Interview (Capture Commerce)
Interview with Danny Iny (Blog Critics)
Get Real! 12 Unique Perspectives on Being Authentically You (Prosperity’s Kitchen)
Behind the Scenes at Sparta: Getting Naked With Danny Iny (Sparta PT)
16 Expert Tips From 16 Successful Entrepreneurs (Turndog Millionaire)
Brick Walls (PJ Reece)
This Post is the Best Gift You’ll Get Today (Ryze Online)
How to Build Relationships Through Smart Email Marketing & Guest Posting With DannyIny (Lo Cost Marketing)
Great Ideas From Firepole Marketing (Truth in Marketing)
Bnonn’s Naked Marketing Audit (Attention Thievery)
Things I Wish I Knew Coming Building a Business Online Three Years Ago (Justice Wordlaw IV)

We’ve listed a lot of great content here, but if you think we’ve missed out on anything important, please let us know in the comments!

Danny Iny (@DannyIny), a.k.a. the “Freddy Krueger of Blogging”, teaches marketing that works at Firepole Marketing. Together with Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark and Mitch Joel, he wrote the book on building engaged audiences from scratch (available on Amazon, or as a free download).