Did you miss the first part of our interview with Jess? Read it here!

Jess Weiner - Creating a Confident World Together

9.  What is fun and what is difficult about working as a sole “wild web” entrepreneur?

Fun: Every day is different. Opportunities abound. And life is a great big playground for me to build from.

Difficult: The buck stops (and starts) with me. So the pressure to perform can be tough and I have no one to blame for that but me!

10.  You are a very self-driven individual who values productivity; which web tools helped you increase your productivity the most? Specifically, in what ways did they improve your productivity?

I think Twitter has given me a crash course in how to relay a message as concisely and creatively as possible. It’s been a great brainteaser for me to hone my skills in pitching and enticing. I sometimes find myself creating tweets in my head while I’m driving or exercising – and I love the immediate feedback a great tweet can create for my business.

11.  Do you have any personal “wild web” role models? If so, what do you admire about this person?

Well, would it look like brown-nosing if I mention the original Wild Web Woman – Lorrie Thomas Ross?  (I say yes, but we’ll let it slide, because I would have to agree with you, Lorrie is awesome…wait, does that look like brown-nosing?!?)

She showed me that navigating a business online doesn’t have to be like living on Stress-A-Me Street. It can be fun and loose, and fluid. I also admire Samantha Ettus who writes a great column for ForbesWomen.com – she is a consistent voice in branding and her online web presence is as authentic as it gets!

12.  As far as dealing with competition in your line of work: do you pay special attention to their marketing strategies and adjust yours to stay ahead OR do you mostly focus on your individual marketing plan without worrying too much about your competitors?

I always look around to see what’s happening but I learned early on to run my own race. My career and my work as an entrepreneur is about running a marathon not a sprint. I find that if I continue to weave my voice and my vision into my marketing strategies I feel the most solid. When I try to emulate someone else, it never works out as well.

13.  Being a successful professional embodies being an excellent marketer (so that people know your name and service!), how do you reach out to your wide range of customers to build a trusting relationship?

Nothing in social media can ever replace the genuine feeling of meeting someone in person. I try to live my marketing life as in 3-D as it will allow me to. I love our virtual world for the ease and quickness it may provide but you can’t underestimate the sound of a voice, eye contact, or a shared laugh. That goes a long way to creating an authentic relationship and my relationships are the strongest tool I’ve used to build my business.

14.  Do you utilize both traditional PR and new PR? What is the ratio of your web marketing to traditional marketing (print ads, local newspapers…etc)?

For my kind of work, referrals and word of mouth are more effective than traditional PR and marketing.

In 17 years, I’ve never paid to advertise. I’ve worked to leverage my public image as an expert and TV personality to cultivate new relationships for my business. But I think nowadays I think it’s best to create a combo of traditional and social media PR for your business.  Again, run your own race. If you find that you get great results with ads – do it. But don’t be afraid to try something new or pull back in an area that doesn’t bring you results. Everyone is trying to find the magic fit – and PR is not about magic. It’s always about relationships and perception. Not always in that order. J

15.  When marketing your business, do you find yourself more often seeking risks or avoiding risks? What are some risks you have taken on the web that resulted in positive outcomes?

I took a big risk – personally and professionally – writing a very intimate piece for a national women’s magazine that basically was going to reveal to my most loyal fans that a big part of my past brand rhetoric was changing and evolving. I took a risk knowing I could lose a few fans. And I did. But what I gained far outweighed the positives. I reached millions of people with this new line of honest communication, I opened up a new portal for doing business in an area I’ve been wanting to explore, and my loyal fans became even more loyal because they saw me take a public risk and applauded me for it.

16.  Business-wise, where do you see yourself in ten years?

I hope no matter where I am in my career, that I continue to be this happy, excited by life, and healthy to enjoy it!

Thank you Jess for sharing your inner-most online marketing thoughts with me and our readers!  We so appreciate all of your words of wisdom!  Connect with Jess to be inspired daily at @JessWeiner or on Facebook or read one of her best selling books “A Very Hungry Girl” or “Life Doesn’t begin 5 Pounds from Now“.  Have a WONDERFUL day!

Meet Jess Weiner - Positive Web Marketing Role Model and Wild Web Woman

I have been wanting to interview Jess for a LONG time, and the stars finally aligned to allow the tiniest break in her very busy schedule, so I got the chance to hear from Jess about how SHE became a Wild Web Woman as well as learn more about what drives her passion to “Create a Confident World Together” and how she creates such a wonderful online community.  Read on to be inspired, to laugh and to learn!  There is a reason that Forbes.com named Jess one of the top 14 Power Women to follow on Twitter – she has a LOT to say!

1.  Why did you choose your current career and how did you get started?

I don’t know if I chose this career or if this career chose me? I started my first business at the age of 21 and I’ve been an entrepreneur for 17 years. I wanted to find a way to turn my passion into a profitable business model and have been able to do so – running a boutique consulting firm specializing in media strategy, authentic brand management, and utilizing my skills as a speaker, author and confidence expert.

2.  What is your favorite tech-y word? (i.e. “tweet”, “Facebook poke”…etc.)

I love Tumblr – because of the horrible grammar involved – w/ tech talk we become masters of short cuts but I can hear all of my English teachers from school groan collectively when we leave out the “e” on Tumblr.

3.  As far as utilizing social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to communicate your business to your clients, what are some of the challenges and what are some of the benefits to your business?

A challenge is that I work with and sometimes represent large brands and businesses where my ability to be as candid or spontaneous in social media isn’t always an option due to corporate policy. But within my personal brand I find using social media tools gives my fans and clients such an instant access to what inspires me, informs me, and moves me in the world. It’s and efficient, concise and authentic way to connect and since those words define the DNA of my business – it’s great.

4.  Out of all the social media tools on the web you use, which one (if any) are you most “addicted” to just for fun?

Hands down: Facebook. I can lose hours of my life looking at your cute baby photos, your parent’s anniversary pictures, or reading crazy rants by my very outspoken friends!

5.  What are some of the valuable mistakes you have made in the past regarding online marketing and what have you learned from these past setbacks?

What I’ve learned in online marketing is that not everything is one size fits all. Even though something may be a great trend it doesn’t make it great for my business. So I try to be unafraid to take my time and find the best tools that work for my unique brand of work. Also, I’ve learned that everything – especially our websites are pretty much always in beta mode – so I am working on being more flexible creatively and within my own strategy online.

6.  Looking at your history of great professional achievements, what are some of your proudest accomplishments? Reflecting upon these, what skill or personal factor do you believe helped you the most in achieving this accomplishment? (i.e. What motivates you to your success?)

My motivation is simple: I’ve wanted to entertain, inspire, and assist people as they grow personally. I’ve chosen the path to get me there by creating a platform that sits at the intersection of PR, Marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility. I work directly within the media because it’s the greatest platform available to reach my audience of women and girls. The reason behind my success is also simple: My family, friends, and mentors. Without the strong foundation of a family who said, “YES” to my dreams and the everyday support of friends who are there to pick me up when I fall – I wouldn’t have been able to do this work. And mentors have literally opened doors for me in business that have made me lots of money and created my next level of success. I’m eternally grateful to this amazing group of cheerleaders.

7.  Do you have a personal mantra that you would like to share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?

My new favorite quote – and one that I have written on the dry erase board in my office is my new mantra for 2012:  “Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”  I use this to remember who I am when I’m making deals, cultivating my dreams, and reviewing offers for work. I choose now to create and participate in work that makes me feel alive!

8.  If you were shipwrecked on an island and had to run your business from there, what three web tools would you bring with you to use?

I’d really bring 2:  Facebook and LinkedIn. You can find anything and anyone between those two. And the third tool I’d bring is a stack of legal notebooks. I still do my best creating longhand (take that technology!)

Join us on Monday to hear more about what motivates Jess and how she has utilized social media to inspire women and girls all over the country !

Kudos to the Honda advertising team, not only for thinking of this *brilliant* commercial, but for also snagging Matthew Broderick to reprise his role as an adult-like Bueller, and for creating one helluva buzz on the internet to make sure that everyone, and their mother, father (mine included, who actually forwarded me the commercial, although I had already seen it), brother, and sister see this incredible mini-movie before millions of more people see it during the actual Super Bowl. How’d they do it? They simply sent out a newsletter to their entire opted-in email customer base saying “See our ad before 100 million people do” and embedded the extended version (a whopping 2 minutes, 25 seconds) of the commercial in the newsletter and invited people to “share with your friends and family too”.

What was the overall goal for releasing the commercial early and online? While I can’t speak on behalf of Honda, I can always speculate:

1. Possibly they were excited to show off the new CR-V.
2. Possibly they were thrilled with how the commercial turned out and just couldn’t wait to show it off.
3. Possibly they were testing out the effectiveness of internet marketing and wanted to see how fast the buzz about the commercial would spread.

Let’s go with option three because the whole point of making a commercial is to expose it to as many people as possible, right. (Note: no question mark needed in the previous sentence because I wasn’t asking a question, okay).  The beauty of internet marketing is the measurability of outreach. And this commercial certainly “outreached”. The commercial was emailed out 2 days ago. In about 48 hours, I see that the commercial (hosted on YouTube) has been viewed 6,518,483 times, garnering over 23,000 “likes”. Searching on Google for “Honda CRV Super Bowl Commercial” returns 5,880,000 results from the Christian Science Monitor to ABC News to people’s personal blogs and everything in between. The commercial posted on Honda’s Facebook page has 1,170 “likes” and 112 comments. Wow!

I would deem that Honda successfully used the power of the internet to leverage their commercial.  They reached over 6 million people in 2 days, some of whom may not necessarily have seen the commercial otherwise (me included: Super what?). The commercial has been talked about in countless online publications and the video will live forever on the web, available for viewing again and again. And for all the rest of the people that haven’t seen it, they will see it on Super Bowl Sunday. The combination of releasing the commercial early online and airing it on a day when 100 million people are expected to see it on TV, will insure that this commercial makes a lasting impact. Just as the original movie did. Well done, Honda!

Before you jump to the review, check out this amazing Social Resolutions 2012 infographic from the official Google+ Business page. These are GREAT social media marketing tips that we recommend printing and putting up at the office.

1. Keep your page fresh
2. Post quality, not quantity
3. Ask for interaction
4. Hangout with your customers
5. Post lots of images

Amazing infographic from the official page for businesses using Google+ to connect with their customers.

Google+ Business Sharing Tips – Start real conversations with the right people

• A quick look at sharing on Google+ – Google+ Pages help you build deeper relationships with customers by sharing your thoughts, links, photos and promotions with the right people at the right times.
• Publish Posts – Once you have people on your page, how do you start talking to them? You can use your Stream to post relevant content, including photos and videos, and even engage your followers directly by asking questions that start discussions.
• Launch Hangouts – Hangouts let you set up one-click video conversations with customers and colleagues alike.
• Manage Circles – Different people are interested in different parts of your business. Google+ lets you easily share the right things with the right customers.

Google+ Business Promotion Tips – Social sharing. Google reach.

• Spread the word – There are lots of ways to promote your site and your Google+ page, from promoting it yourself with Google+ Direct Connect and the Google+ badge, to helping others recommend you with the +1 button.
• Google+ badge – Let people know you’re here by connecting your company website to your Google+ Page by adding the Google+ badge to your site.
• Google+ Direct Connect – A new feature called Direct Connect makes it easy — even automatic — for people to connect with you. Direct Connect lets people enter ‘+’ followed by the name of your page in Google search to get directly to your Google+ page. You can learn more about Direct Connect in our help center.
• +1 recommendations – People often turn to friends and family for help making decisions. Get the +1 button.
• Connect your +1’s – Help people see their friends’ recommendations, wherever they find you on the web by connecting +1s for your website, with +1s on your Google+ page and ads.
• +1 on search – A recommendation is good; a recommendation from a friend is even better. +1 annotations in Google search help surface these recommendations right when people need them most — when they’re searching for exactly that information.
• +1 button sharing to Google – Help your words get around by installing the +1 button on any of your web pages, so that when a visitor to that page clicks a +1 button, that specific content is shared on Google+, where people can discuss it with friends and reshare it with their own social networks.
• +1 on display ads – People tend to trust recommendations from people they already know. Adding the +1 button to your display ads lets you, for the first time, run social-enabled campaigns across millions of sites in more than 40 countries around the world.

Google+ Business Analytics Tips – Get in the know

• Understand your Google+ activity – Google’s measurement tools will soon make it easier to understand Google+ activity: what people are saying about your business, how many +1’s your business receives and how these affect your traffic.
• Google+ search – Search on Google+ can help you as much as it helps your customers. You can search keywords, names or anything else, and use your search results to understand better what people are saying about your brand.
• Ripples – Word travels fast online. Ripples let you see your posts spread across Google+, who’s sharing and resharing your content, and whose opinions matter.
• Social analytics – How do +1’s affect user behavior? Google Analytics suite of social reports make it easy to find out.
• Analytics on a Page – Data trumps guessing every time. In the coming weeks Google+ will be launching tools to give you access to as much data as possible about your Google+ Page and +1 activity.
• API integrations – Ready to start building for the Google+ platform? This first release of the Google+ API, which includes read access to public data and a hangouts API should be helpful.

You can find Web Marketing Therapy on Google Plus and you can find my Google Plus profile here: Nicki Gauthier Google Plus profile.

#2. Blog Post First Sentence - Try to keep the blog title “matchy matchy” with the first sentence of the blog post.

#3. Anchor Link Text – When including hyperlinks try to keep the anchor link text to 3 or less key phrases.

#4. Hyperlink to Internal Pages –  I encourage you to link to perviously written blog posts that relate to your topic. Also link to other insightful sites to provide value to the your reader.

#5. Link to External Sites – When linking to external sites, I prefer to make the links “blank links” and have them open into a new window.

#6. Images and Videos – Try to include images and videos in your blog posts because not everyone learns the same way, some prefer audio or visuals to learn.  (Also include titles and alt-text for your images and videos.)

#7. Blog Categories and Tags – Always categorize and tag your blog posts.

#8. Blog Closer - And finally, include a blog closer or teaser to remind your blog reader to come back for more blog goodness.