How To Use Google’s Wonder Wheel
I’ve been having a lot of fun searching for topics and keywords using the new Google Wonder Wheel. It is a new feature that Google slipped in to it’s search engine recently without too much fanfare, but it’s a fairly powerful option to find topics that interest you, keywords that might be useful for web marketing and tracking online trends.
First do a normal Google search, any topic will do. Then click the “Show options…” in the upper left.
So I have typed a topic near and dear to my heart “media artist” and up pops some links and once again my headshot that I am sure you need to see a few more times.
So when I click the show options I can go down the left side (image above) and choose “Wonder wheel” which pops up a graphic very similair to a mind map. In fact I can click on any of the links and another circle of links will show up.
It’s very easy to use but it really taps into related keywords that up until now have been tougher to figure out for non-SEO experts. Now with a click or two you can drill down to topics directly related, according to Google, to the topic you put in. If you do any kind of online marketing, branding or social media work, this is a pretty compelling way to track trends and topics that are related.
Give the Google Wonder Wheel a try, you may find you’ll discover some new markets and niche areas you did not even know existed.
Your Career: If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It
If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It.
This is one of my favorite quotes (from Tony Robbins) and one that can apply to just about anything, from career goals, to daily tasks, to projects, to new missions, to everything you want to make progress on. Athletes often write down reps at the gym, they take out a pad and note the amount of repetitive exercises they perform. For some it’s the only way to track the progress, because as you get better you can perform more reps.
Measuring can be seen as tracking the progress of your goals. It’s one thing to create projects and daily to-do’s, but often it’s not until you start measuring that you can really see the progress you are making. The element often left out of the career of many creative artists is to step back and chart the progress, look at the bigger picture to see what directions you go and how far you’ve come.
For example, let’s say you wanted to gain some new clients. You network, make some connections, send out some inquiries, pass out cards, the usual. You may get some or you may not. But what if you wrote down that you wanted to connect with 5 new potential clients this week? And as you connected, you marked it down. Or perhaps to give out 5 business cards a week. Suddenly it not only becomes a goal, but there is some added pressure to achieve it. In addition, you can now track the progress, 5 this week, 5 next. Soon you will be seeing 10 targets accomplished, then 20, then 50. You won’t be looking back over a month and fishing around pondering how you did, you’ll have it all written down.
Give the measuring / tracking process a try. Again this is much different than writing down goals, doing tasks and checking them off. Most of us do that now. Try measuring and charting your actions, steering them towards specific outcomes. Create some targets. You may find that weekly hectic work cycles suddenly become more clear when you can see your progress and more importantly feel like you are making progress.
Can you measure it? Can you manage it?
Media Artist Secrets TV #4 – Daily Creative Career Inspiration
On this episode of Media Artist Secrets TV we discuss Daily Creative Career Inspiration. Getting a daily mental workout is key to building up your career. Here are some tips on how to make time to incorporate development into your work week, as well as some author suggestions including Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Timothy Ferriss and David Allen.
This video is partially based on this blog post – 4 Expert Tips From 4 Career Development Gurus
Watch the show in HD on YouTube or on Facebook
NEW! – Subscribe to “Media Artist Secrets TV” in iTunes
This show is all about the business of being creative, advancing your creative career and ramping up your empire. Each episode will feature creative career development advice and inspiration, cool guests, new thoughts and ideas. Join the conversation by leaving a comment, let me know what you think.
Thanks for checking it out.
http://www.FranklinMcMahon.com
http://www.fmstudio.com
http://www.Facebook.com/FranklinMcMahon
http://www.Twitter.com/FranklinMcMahon
Maine Studios Grand Opening
Click here to watch this video in high quality on Facebook
Had a lot of fun this morning at the Maine Studios Grand Opening, it’s a facility that can be used by Maine filmmakers, media artists and creative artists. There are offices for rent and a huge central area for films, shoots and productions. I shot (slightly shaky) footage of the ceremony, it was great to see so many creative artists in the area come out and support this new endeavor.
Info:
The Maine Studios opens its doors to provide a collaborative environment for film, theater, music and art projects. Wasted Minds Media Group, Inc. (Laurie Notch and John Seymore) is among the first companies to occupy the facility which plans to be one of the first environmentally friendly Film Studios on the East Coast. The launch was attended by Maine creative media artists, the press, Governor John Baldacci and Mayor Jill Duson.
Additional info is here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blog/blogs/portland-in-a-snap/citys-first-film-studio-opens
Wasted Minds Entertainment – http://www.wastedmindsentertainment.com/
Congrats to Laurie, John and their team for pulling together a very successful event!
4 Steps To Avoid Having A Generic Career
First let me say that someone has to be generic. Lots of things need to get done and not everyone can be a superstar. But what if you want more? What if you want to rise to a higher level in your career? I am sure you have seen lots of perfectly fine people, producing content, shooting video, writing on blogs, doing tutorials, entertaining with their craft such as audio, video, graphics, design, film, web or other types of media art.
They are good. They are not bad enough to be discounted and yet not entirely compelling enough to be followed. They are just kind of there.
Here are some ideas I have to take your career higher. To avoid being generic:
1. Convey the passion
It really does not matter what you do, it only matters that you get others excited about what you do. If you are doing something you really are passionate about it’s important to get that feeling out on a weekly basis to everyone you can. We’ve all been pitched by people who are completely competent and spell things out logically, but there is no juice to it. And we’ve also heard people who are immersed in what they are doing and can’t wait to tell the world about it. The more you get your feelings and passion out there, the more people will sit up and take notice. Opportunities come not usually from being skilled in your industry, they come from first impressions and the fact that you can engage and entrance people. Confidence about your craft, passion about your industry, mix in some ego and shake vigorously.
2. Market the difference
You could be a web designer, photographer, graphic designer, marketing person, video producer or anyone creative. When you enter an industry you are entering a very large mass of people doing the same. But what is your twist? What is the hook? How are you different than your peers and competition? Try to find out what that difference is and market it. You need to figure out what separates you from the pack. Once you can nail that down, start getting it out there. Because potential clients and people becoming aware of you may be looking at a lot of people offering the same. Help them choose.
3. Get the word out
This could be a blog, a podcast, press releases, interviews, networking, email newsletter, whatever you need to do, get the word out on a regular basis about what you are doing. Don’t worry about the style, don’t try to craft everything you introduce to perfection, just get stuff out there. Show you are busy, show you are active, show you are everywhere. Keep people thinking of you. Keep them coming back. Often the most successful people are not the most talented, they are the people hustling. They seem to be everywhere, their projects and work flow out on a regular basic for the world to see. Keep the tides moving.
4. Find your voice
Look at anyone you admire. This could be an international person, star, business person. It could be a local mentor, associate, friend. What is it about them? What do they have that others do not? Perhaps they have a large following, they have been very successful in their business. What is their secret? Often it just boils down to the fact that they searched and found something they love to do or something they were good at. The first 3 steps here all are some part of it, but the core is finding your voice. It is sometimes what we would rather be doing. Start to shift to that. Move towards what you really want to do. You don’t have to be amazingly skilled in it, chances are you may not be (yet), but start to shift to your true calling. If you try enough things and take chances, you’ll eventually hit on some things you really are passionate about. Once you enter that realm, you can do the above steps, it will be easy to convey the passion, you will love telling the world about it and you’ll have a thing or two that should set you apart from the rest doing something similar. Keep in mind your voice changes over time, the career you have now is fine, but it may be time to move on. You may be on the tail end and it may be time for a new calling. Always continue to explore. Also once you find your voice, speak your mind. Let your opinions and thoughts come through. It sets you apart and people will feel more connected if they find you have something original or unique to say.
What about you? Are any of these steps now in your current career? Are they worth incorporating?
Media Artist Secrets TV Now In iTunes
It’s official, Media Artist Secrets TV is now available in iTunes. Each episode features a topic devoted to developing your creative career. The show started as an audio podcast and won the Best Business Podcast award at the Podcast Expo a few years back in California. In fact the audio podcast is still in iTunes, you can get that right here. The new video version will be shorter ciips running about 5 minutes and although it is geared toward creative professionals, such as graphic designers, musicians, artists, actors, web developers, social media experts and other artists working with all forms of media, the show’s concepts can be applied by anyone who is running a business. The topics are designed to really get you thinking about where you are headed, as well as expand your reach, audience, skills and success.
The show will also be available on Facebook, YouTube and many other video sites, but if you want to get the latest episodes and download them, then click the link below. And if you enjoy the show, please leave a review on iTunes.
Since this is a group project, I want your input on topic ideas, guest suggestions and anything I can do to make the show better as we progress.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the support. Lots of great stuff planned for the show including special guests..it’s gonna be a fun ride!
Creative Career Surfing – Are You Catching The Big Waves?
I like to surf. I like to look for big waves. Career big waves.
To be successful you always have to keep an eye out for the next big wave. Plus be able to ride it. There are basically two ways to run your creative career.
There are those that ride the waves. When the waves tend to be not as big, they look to other beaches. They move there.
Often they find that this new beach, or rather this new market, is just starting to get popular. Waves are getting bigger and bigger each day. This is a good place to be.
Then there are those who never leave the same beach, who stay with their same services, their same marketplace. When the waves die down, they stand there. Up to their knees in still waters. They look backward and think about the big waves from the past. They worry and stress about the future, they anticipate waves will be smaller from now on. They think, well that is just how it goes.
They don’t even notice the others who have moved to new beaches, enjoying new emerging markets, who are fluid and mobile with their skills, career and talents. Still they continue to stay at the same beach.
Your career has to shift and move, you have to move to new markets, keep an eye on what is next and work to anticipate it. If your current scenario is not working, move to a new beach. It may be similar to your old beach, just bigger waves. Keep looking off into the distance, keep looking for upcoming options.
I like to surf. I like to look for big waves. Career big waves.
I have practically done this my whole career. But my focus is on bigger waves on other beaches I have yet to explore. And I usually can catch them.
Am I the best surfer? Not really. So what’s my secret?
Always be looking.
And have great binoculars.
Hitting The Road – Driving Your Company Like A Virtual Vehicle
What is the difference between a new growing company and a company that is stagnant or experiencing cutbacks? One is moving and the other is stationary. This could be a small one person operation or it could be a large enterprise. It does not matter the size, it only matters if there is velocity there. Imagine your company as a moving vehicle, with the goal to constantly travel and meet new people and clients. You could almost think of this as a political campaign, logging hundreds of (virtual) miles with the goal to expand your audience and reach.
I often talk on the blog about promotion and marketing, spreading the word. Creative artists and business people may not be wired to move rapidly forward while sharing the story of their craft, but you do owe it to your audience. You have a duty to make sure everyone knows what you do and how you do it. Once you start to think of your empire as a traveling show as opposed to hanging a sign for a stationary for-hire service, you start to expand your thinking as well. You begin to see the future charged with possibilities. Extending your reach in all kinds of new and exciting ways.
How you move is up to you. You could network, virtual and in-person, speak at local and national events, write an advice column, post videos of what you do on the web, start a fan group, organize a street team, there are almost limitless possibilities of not only where you can take your brand but also how you can get there.
Momentum is the primary ingredient. As is steering. A company moving is a company that is flexible enough to steer into new areas. The core talent and services are still there, but the road traveled presents new niches and paths of opportunities. Things you find exploring you would never discover if you were stationary.
How has your business moved this week? Did you extend your reach, present to a new group, break in to a new demographic, develop a new product or service that was a bit out of your normal scope?
Are you sitting around anxiously waiting for the phone to ring or are you hitting the road and bringing the show to a new audience on a weekly basis? There are so many avenues of communication these days, especially with the web, that there is little excuse not to explore new ways to reach large audiences.
So how far are you moving this week?
Facebook Maine Summer Party – Friday August 28th
I just sent out invites this morning and wanted to include you as well. If you live near Portland, Maine I’d like to invite you to an event I am hosting called “Facebook Maine Summer Party”. Myself along with Karla Gilbert and Rebecca Daigle do these almost every month and it’s a great way to connect, socialize and meet new friends. I started Facebook Maine really as a way to bring people together, not a networking event (although plenty of that happens) but a more casual atmosphere that is geared toward making connections, not unlike Facebook itself. The Facebook Maine group has almost 4000 members and has gotten some great press and TV coverage, so if you are in the area please stop down and say hi. We’ll have a delicious free appetizer buffet and refreshing drink specials. And we’ll have a lot of fun! Did I mention that? 
Check out some pics from our past Facebook Maine parties.
For more info, video clips, news and party pictures visit:
http://www.FacebookMaine.com
Facebook Maine – Summer Party
RiRa Irish Pub – 72 Commercial St.
Downtown Portland
Friday, August 28th / 5:00pm – 7:30pm
SAVE THE DATE!
Come and relax in the lounge for good conversation and connections, bring your friends. If your friends are not on Facebook yet, come anyway! It’s the perfect time to learn all about it.
For directions visit – http://www.rira.com/
On-street parking + parking garage right next door at Casco Bay Parking Garage.
See you all on August 28th!
Cheers,
Franklin McMahon
http://www.facebook.com/franklinmcmahon
(Are we friends yet? Add me!)
Also visit:
http://www.TwitterMaine.com
http://www.LinkedInMaine.com
Elizabeth Gilbert On Nurturing Creativity
Check out one of my favorite TED Talks. I saw Elizabeth speak live in Portland at The Merrill Auditorium and she’s a great creative inspiration for me.
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
The author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some large topics. Her next fascination: genius, and how we ruin it.
Her website is here and you can also view this video on TED
The video runs about 20 minutes, but stay with it, it’s a great talk for any creative artist to hear.
Check out my site Media Artist Secrets – Creative Career Inspiration at http://www.franklinmcmahon.com/
No Tech Weekends – Unplugged And Off The Grid For Two Days
I’ve been experimenting with doing no tech weekends, instead of constantly checking Facebook and Twitter, looking at email and news, actually scaling down to nothing by avoiding using laptops, social networks, tech in general. Imagine doing social things and not having an eye on my iPhone during conversations, going on outdoor hikes instead of inside with my eyes fixed on a flat screen, just trimming it way down to almost nothing. I say almost, because it is tough to go cold turkey, but a dramatic reduction is not that hard. I’ve learned a few things along the way during this tech elimination.
As for news, not much happens over the weekend, so things that are posted online tend to be pretty fluffy. I find most critical things I may want to know happen on Mondays and Tuesdays. E-mail is also not critical typically. I recently read an article where a CEO never checked e-mails on the weekend. He reasoned that if he did, he would start answering them. And if he started answering them, clients and associates would be notified that they can and would reach him on the weekends and get a response. As for social networks, the more you interact the more reaction you get. So if you don’t post and comment, you typically don’t get much for responses, which trims things way down.
The one item I would suggest is to have everything ready for Monday, ready on Friday. Unless you have your task lists and items completely covered and scheduled, your mind will keep running about work all weekend, which defeats the whole purpose. Ever leave for vacation on a Friday? You work so hard all that day to have everything buttoned up that when you set off your mind is free and relaxed and ready to have some fun. Imagine having that feeling every weekend? What has happened to me is that I approach Monday and the work week with much more renewed energy and excitement. I am recharged and ready to roll. As opposed to working though the weekends and having a never ending cycle, which can cause burnout. This may not work for everyone, but I am guessing that it could. Give it a tumble, if you think you can’t not work weekends because of client commitments, start to rethink the efficiency of your actual work week. Try going tech free for a stretch and see how refreshing and recharged it can make you.
Do you go tech free now? Can you do it?
Top 5 Twitter Marketing Mistakes
I’ve been thinking a lot about Twitter lately and I see some patterns that could be improved and tweaked, with myself and others. These suggestions will be tough for some of you to take, so feel free to tell me otherwise, I don’t have all the answers (see actually..I only have 5) so let me know. Here are some thoughts about how to avoid some of the downfalls, from using Twitter too much to not using Twitter at all:
1. You Use Twitter as Your Only Marketing Avenue
Twitter is a resource in your toolbox just like any other network, but keep an eye on where your demographic is. Are they actually on Twitter? Are the decision makers who may be hiring you on the service? Often the larger clients who you really need to connect with are not on Twitter. They could be too busy or perhaps their company is not up to speed on the tool. Don’t use Twitter in place of an actual marketing plan. It needs to be part of a group of initiatives you have in play, using it as a singular avenue to reach your audience probably does not make much sense.
2. You Level Off the Networking
After you get rolling with Twitter you will begin to connect with old friends and new as well as potential clients. It’s fun to chat throughout the day and see what everyone is up to, but still keep focused on expanding your network. Instead of just adding new people hoping they will follow back, start responding to new users. Begin conversations. You cannot directly message someone who is not following you, however if you are following someone you can certainly strike up a conversation. Simply reply to their posts. Your response will show up in their mentions. Twitter is an amazing sea of possibilities, remember to explore that aspect daily, as opposed to just connecting and reconnecting with the same users day after day.
3. You Learn It Then Fade
I attend and host a lot of professional and casual networking events and I am amazed at the amount of people who, when I ask if they are on Twitter, reply with “Sorta..”. They’ve heard about it and signed up, added a few peeps, but then did nothing else with it. Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool but it’s only as powerful as you make it. It does take time to invest in it and like anything else the payoff is more down the road as your network grows. Stick with it. Spend some time with it each day and start to work it. Reply to people, add new friends, pose a question to everyone. You’ll start to see things happen and build. Everything happens in cycles and Twitter is in a high cycle right now of popularity, so now is the time to take advantage of it.
4. You Use It as a Productivity Pause Button
I turned off the notifications that let me know when someone new is following me (BTW if you want me to follow you and I am not, leave a comment or email me). I found that if I needed to check e-mail I would also get new Twitter notifications, to which I would stop what I was doing and explore to see who this new person was. This lead to a path of distraction from projects that I was taking far too often. I also used to keep Twitter up all the time on my second monitor, just to keep an eye on things. Again this was a constant distraction that while it was fun to monitor, it constantly pulled me away from the main tasks at hand. I used to think multitasking was a great skill to have, I now see it as a way to drag down the progress of the entire day, expanding and pushing my work day later and later. I now exit email, exit Twitter and Facebook, let the answering machine field calls, etc. This is hard for people to do, and indeed it is just as hard for me. And for anyone who loves Twitter, the thought of turning it off can be sacrilegious. However I find now when I do make time for Twitter I enjoy it much more because I don’t feel the subconscious guilt of being pulled away from things. Again this won’t work for a lot of people, but turning off Twitter for a few hours and crafting something like a new blog post can be amazingly refreshing. Most of this blog is about producing content for an expanding audience to ramp up your career, so use Twitter to advance that career but don’t let it pull you too hard away from actually building your empire. Humans are hardwired to seek out new things and to want attention. Twitter fits both of these needs almost perfectly, but always remember you have bigger fish to fry.
5. You Actually Don’t Use Twitter
Now I am not talking about someone who has signed up and has not really worked it too hard, I am addressing those who are against Twitter on principal. They may see it as a waste of time, or discount it, thinking that it’s a bunch of people chatting about what they had for breakfast. Or perhaps they just don’t understand it yet. Having been on Twitter for several years I have seen it change and evolve and as much as I talk about using it in moderation and not using it in place of real marketing, I still think it’s a great tool than can be very powerful in hooking you up with connections across the globe. I have gained fans, clients, speaking engagements, big projects, new friends and much more with the tool and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Like any tool or network, you have to put some work into it to get something out of it. If you are reading this now you are probably pretty hip and may be on Twitter already, in that case become a mentor to a newbie, tell a friend about Twitter, get them on and guide them through it. I do this often and it’s rewarding to see how far people go with it. If you are not on Twitter, ask someone who is on it that you know, learn the ropes from them. If you have a Twitter account but never did anything with it, fire it back up and work it. The biggest Twitter marketing mistake is to not use Twitter to extend your network, fan base, promotional avenues and social grid. In the social networking realm as of right now, Twitter is at or near the epicenter. Now is the time to not only jump on board, but to work the tool to your advantage.
Media Artist Secrets TV #3 – 4 Creative Career Steps
On this episode of Media Artist Secrets TV we discuss the 4 Creative Career Steps. You can look at the original blog post this is based on right here.
The 4 steps are Hours, Talent, Ideas and Who.
You can also watch the show in HD on YouTube or in HD on Facebook (podcast version coming soon)
This show is all about the business of being creative, advancing your creative career and ramping up your empire. Each episode will feature creative career development advice and inspiration, cool guests, new thoughts and ideas. Join the conversation by leaving a comment, let me know what you think.
Thanks for checking it out.
http://www.FranklinMcMahon.com / http://www.fmstudio.com
http://www.Facebook.com/FranklinMcMahon
http://www.Twitter.com/FranklinMcMahon
Which of the 4 steps are you at right now? What step do you want to be on?
Can You Specialize In The Nearly Impossible For Your Clients?
Your career success often hinges on what you are offering. Can the client do it themselves, but it is just easier to have you do it? Or is it a service that the client could (almost) never figure out on their own, unless they went through months of training and research?
The more you match up a service with a client correctly, the more successful you will be. Move from pawn to knight, specialize in the nearly impossible for your clients, not just the inconvenient.
Let’s take photography for an example. A client needs pictures of a building or an event. You offer photography services, you can do this job. The client could snap some pictures, it would be quick, but it’s just not convenient for them. Since it is just grabbing some shots, they could have someone in their office do it, in fact they could have any number of local photographers do it. You would do a great job, but it is hard to have any kind of leverage against others in this scenario. If you charge the going rate, they may come back and say, well we can just grab the shots this time, but we’ll keep you in mind.
Along the way you discover that what they really want is to create an on-line photo gallery for their company, that is constantly updated. They also would like the pictures to look professional and be updated with regular events. Oh and they want them to come up randomly, so a different one appears each time someone visits the website.
You discover all this as you talk more and more with them. You investigate and find out what the bigger picture (so to speak) is and how you can offer a solution. You have a friend who is a web guy, so he can do the back-end coding for the slideshow, you subcontract him to do it for you. You also work out a monthly agreement with the company to shoot a certain amount of images per month. You also promote to them your Photoshop skills, you will tweak and sharpen the images so they not only look fantastic and professional, but they are highly optimized for fast web delivery. You also work out a method where you upload the pictures via a server to the client, supplying them with web optimized versions as well as print versions, that they can use for their brochures and newsletters.
Through constant communication and talks with the client, you have gotten a grasp of the bigger project and taken a lot of the burden off the client to make the process happen. You moved from a pawn, who is utilized but not very valuable and quickly sacrificed, to a rook or a knight, who is pivotal to the bigger strategy, and who must be held on to longer for on-going success.
I love chess metaphors.
Start to think about expanding your scope, offering products and services that branch off in directions you enjoy. Move from being a small circular bush, with just a few services, to a large expanding tree, with a combination of client solutions.
Instead of focusing on a small group of services that can be found anywhere, with little to differentiate you, start to package up solutions that do more and more of what the client needs. You begin doing what is a huge task for them, instead of just saving them a bit of inconvenience.
It’s one thing to hope a client calls you, as they survey a sea of other candidates doing the same thing. It’s another matter entirely where they have to call you, you are the person who can make it happen, solve their problems and offer a range of services and solutions that the others cannot.
Can you offer services others cannot? Can you expand what you offer?
How valuable now are you to your clients and potential clients?
