One of the hottest trends right now in entertainment is the revival of dead franchises. Whether it’s a Kickstarter for Veronica Mars or Netflix reviving Arrested Development, the principle stays the same: If people loved these series before, they will love to see them recreated over and over again.
Before television shows streamed online, TV networks ruled the roost on this type of thing. Networks would host reunion specials. To some, this tactic is viewed as homage; a way to give back to the fans that watched the program. But to others, reunion specials seem like just an easy way for a network to squeeze every last ounce of money out of a franchise. I side with the latter; it still is the case today.
Take for instance the exit and return of Family Guy. When the show first aired in 1999, it started off with a bang and went downhill until it was eventually canceled in 2002. When Family Guy was canceled, it was viewed as just another failed TV show. That was until a few million DVDs were sold. 20th Century Fox saw the potential resurgence (dollar figures) of the franchise and brought it back. Now Family Guy routinely wins Sunday’s key demographics and Fox and Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane are both richer because of it.
So what does this have to do with Arrested Development, let alone brand resurrection? Read on, my TV fanatic.
There is a common misconception in the blogosphere. Many bloggers (or budding bloggers) believe that if you start a blog, dollar signs will immediately follow. On the contrary, making money off of your blog is an extremely difficult thing to do. As a matter of fact, a majority of blogs fail.
But there is a platform that can ease your blogging woes. It’s called Skyscraper.
AOL Instant Messenger, Gangnam Style and light-up LA Gear: What do these all have in common? They’re fads; something once at the height of our culture that ultimately fades away due to lack of popularity and people coming to their senses (I’ll admit I’m still not over LA Gear. We made a big mistake, you guys.).
And believe it or not, another fad that may be joining the land of forgotten “cool” stuff is location-based check-in social networks.
No matter what you do, you can’t please everyone. There will always be someone who doesn’t laugh at a joke, dislikes a song or is offended by something you say. No one really knows why it happens; but I have my theories:
It reminds them of a personal experience they don’t want to be reminded of.
They don’t get the context or premise.
Or everyone else likes something and they just feel the need to be different.
This principle goes hand-in-hand with the strategy of target marketing. Target marketing is pretty simple: identify a demographic for your product and gear it towards them. Sometimes, target marketing goes well, like Dr. Pepper 10’s campaign (the product not for women was created because advertisers found that men stayed away from diet drinks because they aren’t “manly” enough. Apparently calories or a gun metal can make a soda manly). Other times, target marketing can go very, very poorly; especially when you go off on a ridiculous rant explaining why you market your product a certain way.
Here at Inboun, we’ve made it pretty apparent that we love working with rebel brands--companies, businesses and people who aren’t afraid to color outside the marketing lines. We only work with brands that aren’t afraid to engage their audience in unique, meaningful (and sometimes crazy) ways.
But let’s take a step back. We say we work with “brands”...but what is a “brand”? When is a company, business or entity considered a “brand”?
You all know that Yahoo! bought Tumblr. This is no longer newsworthy--it’s just the facts. But what does this mean for Tumblr exactly? Will Tumblr fall into the “old fashioned ways” of Yahoo! or will Yahoo! revive itself with hipster faithful users? That’s for us to ponder and you to read about...
In a way, a man’s brain works a lot like a computer. They run smoothly until they get too many commands at which point they start to overheat and malfunction. Every guy’s brain is different and each one handles different “software” (topics, aspects of life) differently. When you can’t fix your own messed up brain/computer, the only thing left to do is call someone, reset the programming and install new “software”.
Enter GQ (many of you fancy folk out there may still refer to it as Gentlemen’s Quarterly). For over 55 years, GQ has been a monthly delivered “Bible” for men, covering everything from grooming to technology (and all of the “software” in between).
You don’t get anywhere in life without friends. Believe it or not, the same principle applies to search engine optimization (SEO). Rising to the top of search results is no easy task, especially when you consider how large and expansive search engines like Google are. Getting to the top is a complex equation with a bunch of different variables, some that you can control (titles, keywording, meta descriptions, etc.) and some you can’t (clicks, recommendations, metrics).
Though there are variables out of your control, there is a way to bridge the gap. The key is link building. In short, link building is when a link to your site appears on another site, ultimately leading the reader back to you. A key component of link building is the quality of the link—the better the quality, the better off you’ll be.
How Can I Make Link Building Easier?
Here’s the problem: Getting unique, quality links is a pain in the ass. But it can be a hell of a lot easier if you have some “friend” backing you up.
One of the best ways to make “friends” for link building is by taking advantage of sites like HARO (Help a Reporter Out), FlackList or ProfNet. These sites serve as platforms for journalists to find sources and vice versa. Connecting with people through these channels can yield high quality links that are great for your site’s SEO.
The Ins and Outs of HARO, FlackList, ProfNet and Others
How do these platforms work exactly? Let’s say you’re a journalist looking for a quote from an expert in the field of entrepreneurship. Unfortunately for you, you don’t know any successful entrepreneurs out there. But, if you log into a platform like HARO or ProfNet, you will be connected with a number of successful entrepreneurs looking to give away information and be “spotlighted” in a media piece.
Now let’s look at the reverse. Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur looking to gain a little more exposure for your business. Sign up for one of the platforms mentioned above and you will receive “alerts” whenever a journalist needs expert advice from an entrepreneur. Contact the journalist, give them a few quotes and voila! you’re famous.
So...What’s the Catch?
The potential downfall of these services is that they can take a lot of time and “babying” to receive a published quality link. Give it some time, get to know the reporters behind the stories and build a relationship. From there, you can build links to you and your business very quickly. By bringing a third party, you shorten the gap mentioned above and increase your visibility via another connection.
Other Tips
The key to building these connections is by stating clear terms and conditions. If you want back links, let the reporter know. If you’re trying to jump on trends, make that known as well, otherwise you’ll miss the boat. Don’t be afraid to ask the other parties what they would like in return. Likewise, don’t hesitate to clearly state what you want out.
If you establish a solid connection with platforms like HARO, you can become a master of the SEO universe. There are many people looking for sources and sources who need journalists. Thanks to sites like HARO, FlackList, ProfNet and others, connecting everyone is just a few clicks away.
Since its creation, there has been major debate on how to eat an Oreo. Whether you choose to twist, lick and dip, devour whole, or consume by the sleeve is a debate for another day. One thing that isn’t debatable is Oreo’s social media prowess. As far as cookies on social media go, Oreo is the undisputed champ—and it’s tough to get on their level.
For this edition of #FF, it’d only be prudent (since it’s in the title) to highlight Oreo for their social media mastery.
