There Is No Information Overload Finding a Signal In the Noise Inbound Marketing Summit San Francisco 2009 [email_address] Twitter: louisgray FriendFeed: louisgray “ Break through the data tsunami and become a chief signal officer.”

Situation Analysis As Marketers, You Are Expected: To monitor everything instantly, 24 by 7. To be everywhere and participate. To deliver a consistent message to all people, including prospects, customers, partners, press, analysts, investors & employees. There is More Data Out There Than Ever You get hundreds of e-mails a day. You are subscribed to hundreds of RSS feeds. You are connected to thousands on social sites. Do you ever get to blink? Learn the tools Face the mountain Engage appropriately The quality and speed of your information makes you a super hero.

As Marketers, You Are Expected:

To monitor everything instantly, 24 by 7.

To be everywhere and participate.

To deliver a consistent message to all people, including prospects, customers, partners, press, analysts, investors & employees.

There is More Data Out There Than Ever

You get hundreds of e-mails a day.

You are subscribed to hundreds of RSS feeds.

You are connected to thousands on social sites.

Do you ever get to blink?

Learn the tools

Face the mountain

Engage appropriately

Let The Tools Do the Work What Makes More Sense – Reading 1,000 posts in the chance somebody mentions your company, or instead, getting an e-mail every time they do? You probably know about Google News Alerts. But did you know… You can get e-mails when your keywords come up on Twitter? You can get e-mails when your keywords are mentioned in blog comments around the Web, from WordPress to Blogger to FriendFeed? You can search aggregators to find all mentions across multiple services at once? Y You don’t have to live in the haystack to find the needle. Be Aware Watch Act

What Makes More Sense – Reading 1,000 posts in the chance somebody mentions your company, or instead, getting an e-mail every time they do?

You probably know about Google News Alerts.

But did you know…

You can get e-mails when your keywords come up on Twitter?

You can get e-mails when your keywords are mentioned in blog comments around the Web, from WordPress to Blogger to FriendFeed?

You can search aggregators to find all mentions across multiple services at once?

Y

Be Aware

Watch

Act

Tools That Search & Find For You BackType – Comment keyword search across blogs, including Trends that show velocity over time, with e-mail alerts. ( www.backtype.com ) TweetBeep – Twitter search results for keywords or domain linkage, around the clock, to your e-mail. ( www.tweetbeep.com ) State of the art discovery is a beautiful thing. Go beyond Google when it comes to search.

BackType – Comment keyword search across blogs, including Trends that show velocity over time, with e-mail alerts. ( www.backtype.com )

TweetBeep – Twitter search results for keywords or domain linkage, around the clock, to your e-mail. ( www.tweetbeep.com )

Search & Find: BackType Monitor terms by e-mail or through the Web site Backtype follows blog comments, Digg, Reddit, FriendFeed, etc.

Search & Find: TweetBeep Monitor one or more terms by e-mail via Twitter Search TweetBeep takes Twitter search to your inbox, including links.

Aggregation and Blog Search Google Blog Search – scouring blogs for keywords and offering RSS feeds to Google Reader or any other similar software. (blogsearch.google.com) FriendFeed – Search across blogs, Twitter, Flickr and 50 other social services, including native comments, posts. (www.friendfeed.com/search) State of the art discovery is a beautiful thing. Why just look in one place when you can try many at once?

Google Blog Search – scouring blogs for keywords and offering RSS feeds to Google Reader or any other similar software. (blogsearch.google.com)

FriendFeed – Search across blogs, Twitter, Flickr and 50 other social services, including native comments, posts. (www.friendfeed.com/search)

Search & Find: FriendFeed A powerful searchable aggregator of social Web activity. Search 50 social sites at once. Save searches, or send to RSS.

You Control the Volume Have You Ever Said… Every time I log in to Google Reader I have 1,000+ items to read? Do you have any idea how many unread e-mails I have in my in box? I am so far behind in reading everybody’s Tweets! How did I get on this e-mail list? I didn’t subscribe! By the time I finish an e-mail, I have three new ones! It is 100% your fault. So let’s fix it. Marking all as “ Read” means you have failed. Right? Want more data? Just turn it up. Want less? Up to you.

Have You Ever Said…

Every time I log in to Google Reader I have 1,000+ items to read?

Do you have any idea how many unread e-mails I have in my in box?

I am so far behind in reading everybody’s Tweets!

How did I get on this e-mail list? I didn’t subscribe!

By the time I finish an e-mail, I have three new ones!

It is 100% your fault. So let’s fix it.

You Control the Volume Who Created This Mess? Did somebody else sign up to all those RSS feeds? Wasn’t it you who put yourself on that list, or started that e-mail chain? Didn’t you choose to follow those people on Twitter and FriendFeed? You Can Turn Down the Noise Unsubscribe from lists. Reduce e-mail in by reducing e-mail out. Remove less relevant feeds in favor of search. Leverage recommendations from friends or from aggregation sites that filter for you. Skim like mad. Marking all as “ Read” means you have failed. Right? Want more data? Just turn it up. Want less? Up to you.

Who Created This Mess?

Did somebody else sign up to all those RSS feeds?

Wasn’t it you who put yourself on that list, or started that e-mail chain?

Didn’t you choose to follow those people on Twitter and FriendFeed?

You Can Turn Down the Noise

Unsubscribe from lists.

Reduce e-mail in by reducing e-mail out.

Remove less relevant feeds in favor of search.

Leverage recommendations from friends or from aggregation sites that filter for you.

Skim like mad.

Climbing the Mountain of Data I Didn’t Say Unsubscribe from Everything… RSS feeds can be the fastest way to find what your peers and prospects are talking about. Find the trusted ones in your market and always be listening. Participate where it makes sense. But You Don’t Need to Read Every Word Learn who the authors are. Are they friends or foes? Could they be future customers? Speed read and get your time back. Read headlines, skim the first few paragraphs and move on if it’s not 100% relevant. It is possible to read hundreds of blog posts a day and not die. There’s a reason hard disk densities are increasing rapidly.

I Didn’t Say Unsubscribe from Everything…

RSS feeds can be the fastest way to find what your peers and prospects are talking about.

Find the trusted ones in your market and always be listening. Participate where it makes sense.

But You Don’t Need to Read Every Word

Learn who the authors are. Are they friends or foes? Could they be future customers?

Speed read and get your time back. Read headlines, skim the first few paragraphs and move on if it’s not 100% relevant.

Not All Data Is Equal Do you treat e-mail from your boss the same way as your spouse or vendor or subordinate? Why don’t you? Influence Impact Not every blog, Tweet or e-mail is equal People have accrued and earned influence and impact in their own micro-communities. You don’t need to read every single feed, blog, tweet or e-mail to be an information ninja. Learn to prioritize, filter and leverage trusted discovery tools. Don’t be afraid to unsubscribe if signal decreases. Weigh the impact and visibility of the data as you go. Who? Why? What?

Do you treat e-mail from your boss the same way as your spouse or vendor or subordinate?

Why don’t you?

Influence

Impact

Not every blog, Tweet or e-mail is equal

People have accrued and earned influence and impact in their own micro-communities.

You don’t need to read every single feed, blog, tweet or e-mail to be an information ninja.

Learn to prioritize, filter and leverage trusted discovery tools.

Don’t be afraid to unsubscribe if signal decreases.

Who?

Why?

What?

Assessing Influence If not every source is equal, what determines influence and how is that measured? Blogging Established tenure and pace (Visible in Typepad, Blogger, Wordpress...) Activity in comments Frequency of links to content (Technorati, etc.) # of reported subscribers (FeedBurner, FeedBlitz, etc.) Twitter Frequency of Retweets and Mentions # of Followers FriendFeed # of Subscribers Frequency of Likes & Comments on their activity Simple: Do people see the activity and respond? There is no one right answer, but there are a ton of clues. Use them wisely. Solving the puzzle of influence and impact is a challenge.

If not every source is equal, what determines influence and how is that measured?

Blogging

Established tenure and pace (Visible in Typepad, Blogger, Wordpress...)

Activity in comments

Frequency of links to content (Technorati, etc.)

# of reported subscribers (FeedBurner, FeedBlitz, etc.)

Twitter

Frequency of Retweets and Mentions

# of Followers

FriendFeed

# of Subscribers

Frequency of Likes & Comments on their activity

Simple: Do people see the activity and respond?

Solve The Puzzle “ Information Overload” is caused by: Trying to not miss a thing, and not relying on software that can be your aid. Not being able to anticipate influence, and therefore erring by seeing all. You Hold the Key Increase the quality of your data by increasing the quality of your sources. Eliminate junk. Use smart filtering, search tools to find you the right data at the right time in the right place. Own your data. Own your process. Find the right data fast, and you beat the competition cold. The new world of media and marketing can fit together seamlessly

“ Information Overload” is caused by:

Trying to not miss a thing, and not relying on software that can be your aid.

Not being able to anticipate influence, and therefore erring by seeing all.

You Hold the Key

Increase the quality of your data by increasing the quality of your sources. Eliminate junk.

Use smart filtering, search tools to find you the right data at the right time in the right place.

Own your data. Own your process.

Find My Signal www.louisgray.com Inbound Marketing Summit San Francisco 2009 [email_address] Twitter: louisgray FriendFeed: louisgray A Silicon Valley Blog for early adopters, technology geeks, RSS addicts and Mac freaks