When I relaunched PC4Media as a project a few months ago, my goal was to create a network of businesses that blog. I've enrolled about 60 or so companies. All engage at a different level. Some are doing great like my favorite MA real estate attorney, Dave Lima. Some have too many other priorities in the way and haven't really gotten out of the gates. 

Many businesses think that blogging is just about publishing information. It is about publishing information. But, a business that engages in a conversation through their blog generates much more value out of their blogging activity. 

Here's what I wrote to describe my members:

The PC4Media network of businesses are all experts at what they do. But, more importantly, they are committed to publishing educational, informative and engaging information about their industry, their business and their experience. Further, they are committed to engaging the broader community online in a transparent conversation, while supporting each other as they each grow their respective businesses.

Rick just published a post called "Experts that Share" that says the same thing much more succinctly:

I enjoy the freeflowing exchange of expertise and ideas with people that are good at what they do and realize that collective thought is usually much more productive than the sum of individual thoughts. 

John Battelle calls it well: MSN's new deal to pay the users of its search engine is less about paying it's users. It's more about having tighter relationships with vertical sellers. By making the ad network cost per action (cpa), as opposed to Google's cost per click (CPC), they're creating a system that every retailer should participate in. There's no risk and little complexity. You offer to pay what you can afford in order to outbid your competitor.

I agree with Greg Yardley, that the simple act of paying users presents as much potential risk of losing the perception of impartiality and trust - as it does potential rewards of gaining loyalty for the search engine.

However, there's a whole other demographic that LOVES cash back, coupons and all other "discounting" methods that make them think they're getting a deal. As long as the cash back program sticks to "tangible products" and not services that require trust, I think MSN is in safe territory.

But, this move is less about gaining short term market share. It's more about getting rich data about profit margins from retailers, and at some point: lead generation companies.

Then, Microsoft will pick off vertical after vertical, creating vertical search engines for products, services, etc. Said well here:

Microsoft is in a tough spot. They've gone on record to say they want to compete against Google. They're not really going to get there with horizontal search so they've got a strategy to go vertical search. So they're assembling the Microsoft Office of vertical search. You'll see them buy a real estate site, a job site, a travel site, and weave that together into a search volume competitor to Google.

This closes the window for companies sucking off of Google's SEO and ppc tit to establish vertical service businesses as middle men between businesses needing clients and online media companies selling eyeballs and clicks. At some point, Google, Yahoo and MSN will make it simple and obvious enough for every business to do what they want: just pay a % of their margins for new business - directly to one of the big 3.

In the meanwhile, there's a lot of money to be made as middle men. But, it's a fragile balance. The reason that it is possible is because Google insists on the separation of ads from content in order to maintain impartiality and therefore, trust with users. Will MSN challenge that? Will they maintain (err establish) trust with it's users? It might if it serves a better search result.

I'm gradually switching from Bloglines to Google Reader. (I'm not the only one.) 

For my blog newbie readers, the reason I am using a feedreader like Google Reader is to accomplish the following: Once I started reading more than 10 blogs, it became a hassle to go to 10 different websites. A feedreader allows me to subscribe to all of these blogs and read them inside my feeder, so I only have to go to one site to read 10+++ blogs. The feedreader also knows when there's a new article on a blog automatically. So, when I log in, I only have to skim the new stuff. SO MUCH MORE EFFICENT!

Watch this video if you're still confused.

For all of my readers, I'm switching to Google reader because it allows me to share posts with other people who also use Google Reader. It also allows other people I'm connected with on Google Reader to share stuff with me very easily. So, please connect with me if you're using Google Reader too.

I'm also taking this opportunity to clean house. Reading "tech industry" blogs is less and less important to me. Helping my clients generate leads online is more and more important to me. So, it's more important that I use my blog as a networking and teaching tool. So, I'll be reading a lot more of my clients' blogs and some of the blogs of their peers - in order to assist clients in their online networking and blog readership building process.

In short, if I read you and you read me and you want to stay connected, connect with me on Twitter, Linkedin and/or Google Reader.

I was planning on writing a more thoughtful post about the different types of "inquiries" a business can generate. Incoming Leads are good. Introductions are better. Referrals are the best.

Why? Because if a client refers you to a prospective client, your client infers that you are trustworthy and an expert at what you do. Clients have first hand experience with how you help them. So, they are in a better position to communicate that to someone. They also are most likely to recognize when your service would be useful for someone because they've experienced similar challenges that your prospective clients face. By referring you, they also are saying that what you do - works for them. They are establishing quality, service and your committment to your clients' success. All the things that prospects usually doubt until you've established those things yourself. 

Assuming that the prospective client knows and trusts the opinion of your client, much of the hard work of overcoming skepticism, overcoming suspicion and identifying [some of] the needs of your prospective client is done. 

Dave has a great post about what it takes to get referrals from clients.

In my experience, it's simply a case of showing how much you care, going the extra mile, under promising and over delivering, and setting proper expectations. I think it's important for your salespeople to let their clients and customers know early on, that one of your goals is to help them so much that they feel compelled to deliver three new clients just like them. This forces your salespeople to be more aware of that goal moving forward, providing them with a better opportunity to actually get those introductions.  

Who'd a thunk it?

Law School Student Resume of the Future:
Blogging for 5 years.
543 Posts.
Blog RSS Subscribers: 432
Average Comments/Blog Post: 3
Blog Cited in Cases: 10

HubSpot just got techcrunched. If you're a client, go leave a comment about your experiences with HubSpot, please.

TechCrunch has several million readers, btw. It's the most popular internet/tech blog on the web.

Oh yeah. We raised a few new dollars too.

And here's a more accurate description from Julie Power, about what we do.

And here's why we still need journalists. Here too. And here.

And most importantly, here's how a blog lets you communicate directly with your market.

I take all that back. Blogs can do solid reporting. 

I just got off the phone with Wayne Booth. He specializes in designing websites for dog trainers and websites for realtors.

Then, there's Findlaw and DocShops, lawyer and cosmetic surgery website designers respectively.

Both Findlaw and DocShops also own directories which drive traffic to their clients' websites. Sorta what I'm doing here. Their just focussed on one vertical and more successful at it.

Wayne is simply well connected to his market because he is a dog trainer and his wife is a realtor. As a result, he understands the needs of the customers in these niches.

I am biased, of course, but none of these service providers have the ability to help clients (who are willing to invest the time) excel at their internet marketing lead generation as well as HubSpot does.

Courtney Tuttle wrote a solid post the other day about different ways to make money online. He talks about starting a service based business after you know how to generate leads for that type of business.

Those who become good at generating leads will often transition into creating their own service businesses.

HubSpot is really good at helping companies generate leads, whether they have internet marketing chops already - or not.

But, we're horizontally focussed. And will continue to be. It's the right decision for a business that wants to be large.

However, that doesn't mean that other companies couldn't create vertically focussed internet marketing businesses that leverage the HubSpot tools and Internet Marketing training.

When I joined HubSpot, I told Brian Halligan, HubSpot's CEO, that I was going to start a website that would create a community out of my clients and I'd guide them with their blogging, link building and social media activities. Certain clients have stepped up. (All are invited.)

Brian's response was, "That'd work well if you were focussed on a vertical".

The reason I do this is two fold:

1. To make sure my clients succeed. I believe in Karma and believe that I should only sell things to people who will benefit from them. As a salesguy, I believe it's my job to figure out whether someone is a good fit for us and if we are a good fit for them.
2. To aid my own lead generation through my blogging and social media activity.
3. To get direct referrals from happy clients.
   

My sales development clients, Al, Trish, Rick and Dave are all stepping up. They do the following:

1. Leave comments on each others blogs.
2. Link to each other.
   
3. Recommend each other on LinkedIn

I keep them focussed on doing the right things so that all of this supports their SEO and lead generation efforts. I could charge for this. I could do more for them; There's always more opportunity for my clients that I can see. But, it's not my job to do that.

Nonetheless, they all benefit from the network that I'm building. All of them have referred me prospective clients. That's payment enough for me.

The system works.

But, there's a next level to this...

I also have quite a few web design/development/internet marketing firms who are clients and are almost as competent as me.

My intention is to build a critical mass of clients in similar or complimentary businesses. Then, I should be able to take one of my 'web design/development/internet marketing firms' and help them build a vertically focussed internet marketing services business.

However, that's taking more time than I had hoped.

So, if there's anyone out there interested in accelerating this process and building a nicely scalable vertically focussed internet marketing services business, I'm all ears...

Eric from BrainGain Marketing requested a HubSpot demo recently. I usually check people's websites out and learn a bit about them, before I call them.

I loved how he introduces his business:

Afterall, we believe effective marketing happens by talking with people, not at them. In the world of new media and all-things 2.0, your customers are already leading the conversation and they're at least 12 steps ahead of you and your crusty old marketing plan.