Twitter Sucks, But I Still Run Back

I wasn't going to get into it. I'm not an A-lister or super Twitter member, like Scoble. No one writes articles saying that I am single handily breaking the damn site. Not even close. I got a head full of ideas, could use and extra 4-15 hours in a day and use Twitter to communicate with those that share similiar views.

This is my Twitter experience today:


Yup, a whale saying too many Tweets. The biggest problem with Twitter is upsetting their users. Or is it letting down their users. Either way it sucks. A service with so much potential and so much praise from so many places, can't get their act together.

They just raised another $15 mil.

The general public still doesn't get Twitter. Neither do some of its members who either:
a) only self-promote
b) don't follow people back or
c) never join the conversation (that little @ sign is actually a good thing on Twitter)

The 2 main problems for Twitter:
a) Crossing into mainstream popularity
b) Being able to support the mainstream popularity

Personally, the hype around Friend Feed as an alternate or replacement is not there for me. It took me almost a year to have "good" people to follow and "great" conversations to happen on Twitter. How long is it going to take before I can convince all the people I hyped Twitter to, to now go and join Friend Feed.

For me, I don't care what the platform is. I only care about the people on the platform. I still use Myspace daily because my people, connections and business take place on Myspace. I will continue to use Twitter as long as the conversation is happening there. Once the conversation stops, so will I.

And heck, the downtown gives me time to do productive things, like write this post about how much Twitter sucks, but is still one of the most valuable web tools there is.

Maybe they should ask Blaine Cook to come back, even remotely. I remember him speaking at FOWA in Miami and he could barely finish his talk because he was running a very in demand site. There was still downtime when he was there, but at least it got back up in a reasonable amount of time.

-Greg Rollett

Follow more of my Social Media madness on Twitter. It's like a Virtual and Geeky version of the Max (you know Kelly, Zack, Slater, Jessie, Lisa and Screech "cool" place to catch up on gossip and tasty milkshakes - mmm, if only Twitter had milkshakes then no one would care about the downtown)

Why Mobile Matters More than Internet

photo by shapeshift

We’ll have one mobile phone per child before we ever have one laptop per child.

– Inspired by Jason Grigsby’s talk, "Going Fast on the Mobile Web," at WebVisions

I saw this quote today and was blown away by it. Why? Because it is so obvious we overlook it.

Take a look at your friends. Go ahead, turn around, look in your "cell phone" contacts and really take a deep thought to how many of them have laptops vs. how many have cell phones. I would dare to say that all have phones and a good percentage have MacBooks.

Everyone has a mobile phone. Web and mobile strategist Jason Grigsby states that there are currently 3.3 billion mobile devices versus 900 million PCs. (FastCompany.com - Look in the comments)That's a big gap. And with phones getting smarter and smarter, and marketers getting more creative with mobile advertising, the phone is where it is at.

Heck, people with iPhones, and even some Blackberries, have no use for a computer. MP3 players are declining in sales due to cell phones being the supreme being. (At least Apple has the iPhone - a Zune phone anyone?)

Wait until coupon companies get it right as well. GripOffs has a great idea in place where users will click into the Grip Offs mobile site from your mobile-web favorites, browse for coupons based on your location and preference (movies, food, oil change, etc) and then you can show your phone to the business to get your discount or free-be.

Google offers free 411 style information through texting. Just text a query to "Google" or 466453, and get results via SMS almost instantly. Fandango mobile kicks ass when you are on the road on a Friday night and need those tickets before all those high school kids do.

I already mentioned how Papa John's is using cell phones to order your favorite pizzas.

What about Qik for video and Utterz for photos? Instant mobile uploads and live streaming and only getting better to boost. No need to carry around a video or digital camera anymore.

With the rate that Gen-Y, business professionals and stay-at-home moms are on the go, mobile needs to be in your future business plans.

How are you using mobile to grow your business? Is your blog mobilized? That just moved up on the priority list for me.

-Greg Rollett

Using Google To Sell Your Blog

I am always looking at ads that people make on AdWords for their products and sites. Today I was scanning the ads on my site when I came across a Millennial marketing his personal blog through AdWords.


Not too strange I thought.

Intrigued I clicked through to the site, Millennial Life. The landing page was the homepage of the blog. A common trait of AdWords users. The problem I see is that you want to take people to your best stuff. If your latest post is just a photo, or an update or something of no value to a first time reader, you may turn that reader off before they hit the subscribe button.


We'll put that fact to the side and get to the reason for this post. If he monitored the AdSense ads that were appearing on his site, he would notice that he is inadvertently advertising for his own site on his blog. In fact, Google thinks this is the most relevant ad to his site.

I would like to think that BT, the bloggers screen name, would still be breaking even on the deal, as he would be getting paid through AdSense for hosting the ad and the click, and paying out to AdWords for the user making the click.

All of this nonsense just to being the viewer back to the very same home landing page.

I think its great that Millennials are marketing their blog and spending some money to get more readers. And why not use Google? They serve up the most ads and let your earn some quarters on the back-end with AdSense. Just be sure that you are monitoring stats from both accounts and also your own site. You can block ads from certain advertisers, and that may very well include your own ads from appearing on your own site.

BT, I hope you see this and your Millennial Life blog gets some traffic from the Google ads. We do not need to lose you as a Gen-Y blogger due to losing funds and bad marketing tactics.

Gen-Y question of the day?

How are you advertising your Gen-Y blog? AdWords, StumbleUpon Ads, Facebook Ads, WOM Marketing, the Brazen Careerist network, nothing? This will prove noteworthy to all Gen-Y bloggers looking to expand their network!

-Greg Rollett

Twitter with me. You know you want to. All the cool kids are.

Track Star Tuesdays, but its Wednesday

I actually did get Track Star Tuesdays up on Tuesday (yesterday for those that are counting).

It has moved though to its new home at the Skatterband Blog. I haven't talked much about SkatterBand and will get into more depth as it becomes closer to a full launch.

All you need to know today is that it will be a Music Marketing version of one of my favorite sites, SEO Moz, complete with tools, tips, e-books and a killer daily blog. (We are looking for contributors!)

Any musicians that wish to get into the site early are encouraged to sign-up at SkatterBand.com. The blog is up and running and getting some great traffic from Digg and StumbleUpon.

Also, for those that like my Music Marketing posts, they have moved over to that site as well. I am trying to be the Rand Fishkin of the Online Music Marketing world and have been putting up some of my best work to date over there.

More on SkatterBand to come later on. For now, go watch the latest Track Star Tuesdays featuring Orlando's own hip-hop-pop-rock quartet, Daylight District over on the SkatterBand Blog today!


Thanks and if you enjoy either of my sites, please be sure to subscribe to the feeds, it is much appreciated!

-Greg Rollett

Papa John's Gets Gen-Y (Almost)

I stumbled across the Papa John's website today and was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time. They come off as a very Millennial friendly corporation and are trying to make their ordering process as easy and as seamless as possible. I think the ideas are great, but they are failing to capitalize on a few opportunities.

The Good

Ordering a pizza is a pain in the ass! You have to find the coupon that was on your door, or came in the mail, then find the location closest to you, even though there are 5 locations within 10 miles, then place the order, wait 45 min and deal with the delivery guy. Not a lot of fun.

Papa John's has simplified this process. By creating a profile with PapaJohn's.com, you can order from a variety of options. After entering your normal profile sign-up info; name, address, password, etc, Papa John's knows your location.


By going even more in-depth you can set-up "Favs" to make for easy re-ordering. Where do these "Favs" really come into play? Text Message ordering! By texting "Fav1 -4" to 4PAPA your order will be sent via SMS to your nearest Papa John's. A confirmation text comes next and then one with an expected delivery time.



Next up is the Desktop Application. This blends your personal preferences and local coupons and offers a way to order your Meat Lovers without even opening a browser. This is great for convenience of the frequent user. I don't see many one off customers taking the time to download the application.

Where they fail to really hit the market

While both of these features, the SMS Ordering and the Desktop App, are great ways to get people ordering more efficiently and conveniently, the viral spread of Social Media and WOM from Gen-Y is missing.

Instead of a Desktop App, think Widgets on Social Network Profiles. Have teens proudly display their menu items of choice and let them order from within their communities. Showcase their orders to let their friends see pizza is on the way. (Make an anchovie throwing up on Facebook for food fight's sake!)

This gives Gen-Y, or any user of the widget, an easy way to order and also a great way for friends to copy the app and try it for themselves. Let your customers market for you.

No blog or conversation

At least it's not advertised anywhere on PapaJohns.com. There is no Twitter account showing coupons or time sensitive promos. In fact twitter.com/papajohns is a blank page last updated a month ago. There is no blog on Papa John's culture. Although there is a boring history piece a la Web 1.0 with a terrible URL attached on it.

Research shows that Gen-Y is more likely to be influenced on buying decisions with Social Media and when there is trust from a brand (Marketing Vox)

If Papa John's isn't going to talk to their customers, then someone else will.

Great Start - Need a Strong Finish

Papa John's has shown innovation in the way that they deal with customers and orders. Now it's time to start really getting their feet wet and engaging those customers and turning them into advocates who will promote their brand over all the other pizza chains.

Would you be inclined to use new ways of ordering your munchie food? Sound off in the comments!

-Greg Rollett

Managing Millennials in the Workforce

Came across this great series from BNet about the Millennial Generation (hat tip to Millennial Leaders Blog). If you are a company looking to hire Gen-Y, want to know what Gen-Y is, and why we hang on Twitter, check out this series.

Highlights include:

• 27% of Millennials want to rock sneakers and jeans to work (count me in, some Nike SB's and Abercrombie in the office would be sweet)
• “They won’t do something just because you say, ‘I’m the manager,’”
• “On the other hand, they’ll work hard for someone who truly mentors them.”
• Millennials were the first generation to grow up with soccer moms, doting dads, and trophies for participation. (I do not like the last point, when I was 5 and playing t-ball, we won and lost and still had fun, you need to learn competition and pain at some point - or just be good at what you do and win the Tamarac Little League 10 years straight!)

I encourage you to read the whole series and add your comments and debate on this topic.

I am proud to say that as a member of this demographic and generation, everything that has even been reported on Gen-Y is just that, a report, a generalized summary. What we do everyday in our jobs, personal lives and aspiring to our dreams is what is going to define us, not a report that didn't talk to everyone in my generation, or study different geographic regions (including International) as well as those that do not communicate with Twitter, Myspace or FriendFeed.

Stand up for yourself, not your generation! End rant thing.

-Greg Rollett

P.S. Is this me or what?

How To Go To College on a Shoe String

Not that the title has anything to do with Social Media or Music Marketing, but it fits somewhere in the Gen-Y / Millennial realm.

How To Go To College on a Shoe String is actually a new book from Atlantic Publishing that goes through the steps to finding loopholes in financial aid, how to find great paying scholarships, cheap books and more as you prepare and pack up for the 4-8 year trek known as college.

The best part of the book, my expert opinion is featured! You can find me chatting about how to overcome the most fearful interview question there is, "So, Tell me about yourself?"

Right now the book is only available online. Here is a non-affiliate link (although I can say that if I had one, I would use it :) ) to check out the book and grab it for yourself, a relative, sibling or friend that is gearing up for the debt hole that is college. (here is Dorie Morgan chatting about the waste that college is?)

Anyway, it's cool being published and the book looks great. Thanks to Ann Falin for getting in touch and letting me be a part of this experience.

-Greg Rollett

Only People Can Market to Gen-Y

Sometimes when you are lost in a conversation, you get to points that you didn't plan, but that make total sense and help solidify your points. I had one of those tonight!

In the middle of a marketing presentation, I was talking about integrating Social Media into a pretty large company's summer marketing and branding plans. I was trying to explain why they needed to blog, be on Twitter and integrate their plan to make seamless integrations between platforms.

While spitting this out, I came to the conclusion that Gen-Y, or 16-25 year olds in this case, loves getting brand information from a person. We like connecting and building trust with a live human being who has likes and dislikes and tells it how it is.

I don't give 2 shits about what "Insert Fortune 500 Company Here" thinks I should like. I wanna know what the kid down the hall likes. I don't even mind if that kid works for "Insert that same company here." I only care that he is honest. I care that he is human being. I care that he is "Green," likes indie hip-hop and hates Kool-Aid.

Companies need to invent this person for their company if they want to market to our generation. Apple has Steve Jobs, Wine Library has Gary Vaynerchuk and IZEA has Ted Murphy.

Facebook used to have Zucks, but now he's so full of corporate bull that no one cares what he says. DirectTV tried to joint the Twitter revolution, but pitched it from their company and not from a person helping to promote the company. Plus they didn't understand Twitter101.

So, this is an open call to all the brands out there that want the dollar I am still willing to spend! You don't need a million dollar SuperBowl commercial. You need to connect with me. Not the me that other big companies think "I am."

MTV doesn't know me. They know the me that E!News says I am.

Brands get to know me. You do this through listening and then entering the conversation. Do this on Twitter. Do this on influential blogs. Do this with Social Spark and get real reviews of your products.

Don't do this on Myspace with a Friend Blaster!

Where my people at?

-Greg Rollett

When Your Boss Finds Out You Are a Double Agent

I am an advocate of working towards your career goals while working a stable 9-5 to sustain your life, your wife, your house, car payments and a beer when you get 5 minutes of free time. I don't just preach to the choir, I live it.

I play a great role at the 9-5, keeping everyone in tune with everything going on in our company's online world, the economy, cool Social Media and marketing tips and making their clients happy by applying on site SEO to their packages.

When I get out the doors, usually at 5:01, I put on a new suit, and usually a backwards hat! I jet down and swerve through the great traffic that is I-4 and get to the after hours office. I then proceed to make my life interesting and attempt to go at it on my own (and with the help from some more than amazing team members).

I try as hard as humanly possible not to inter-twine the 2 lives. Well, I do check non work emails at work and live off my Twitter feeds, but hey, there is time to kill in an entry level position, right?

So what happens when your boss finds out about all of your post work activities?

I cannot speak for everyone on this one, unfortunately. I am very lucky to have a cool boss, who also doubles as my guitar player when I decide to bust a few rhymes. He was very excited and happy for me and really hopes that the projects I am working on are going to be greatly successful. There is also the factor that my work at the 9-5 never slips. In fact I make sure to kick ass everyday so there is no doubt where my head is at during clock hours.

Here's a few tips that have helped me in my double agent status for those that are looking are are in the middle of working for a corporation with bigger dreams of going at in on your own.

1. Keep up productivity. While I do make time to check my non work emails and browse a few choice blogs, I also kick ass in my assignments. I am still coming up with productive ideas and staying sharp with all of my clients and colleagues. This is vital. Once your daily work starts to suffer, you may be in trouble.

2. Understand your boss. I have a cool boss. He gets business done, but is also understanding and knows that work, and this job isn't the end-all-be-all of life. Maybe your boss or supervisor is the opposite, either way get to know how they handle situations.

3. If possible, be honest. The last few weeks I have shown up red-eyed and wrinkled. Rather than think I was hitting the bong on the way to work, I stayed after on a Friday and showed my boss what I was up to. This happened to be the jamblr site and blog. He was totally impressed with the work, understood what I was up to and offered to give me a few days off if needed to talk to potential investors. He is also trying to get me to make a video similar to the "what is jamblr" spot for our local job fairs. Pretty sweet for coming clean.

4. Know that they know. I got a really cool gig this Friday. What did I do when I found out, I hit up Twitter and told all my followers the good news. The bad news, my Facebook status is updated by my Twitter feed. Boss checks his Facebook, and poof, there's my news all over his homepage. Damn!

5. Understand your non-compete's and NDA's. If you signed a non-compete at your current job, be sure that your new venture does not interfere. This will get you in a heap of trouble and legal issues with your current employer. Also be sure that you are not using company materials and policies when starting your new company.

It's great for Gen-Y to be so active in seeking out there own path and starting their own ventures in their own niche. It's also a smart option to have a stable income while doing so. Just be sure if you are on company time, you are staying in line with what is expected of you. I would hope that your employer would promote career growth, whether its within their organization or out on your own. They don't want you entry-level forever either. That's for next year's graduating class.

-Greg Rollett

Chamillionaire and Pete Cashmore Talk Digital Music Marketing

Found this great video from the Mashable crew. Listen to Pete chat with Chamillionaire about digital success, monitoring websites for trends and conversations and even the Weird Al parody, "White and Nerdy." This sheds some great light into what major label artists are going through and have to deal with in this new world.

One point Chamillionaire brings up is the fact that if digital sales counted towards album sales, his record would have been platinum 5-6x over. That's not counting the ringtones. When are we going to figure this out? Enjoy!

What Our Office Has Done For Business

We’ve been in our office for about 4 months now. Residing in Downtown Orlando has been the biggest blessing for all of my projects. It’s not so much that I spend 24/7 at the office, waking up at dusk at my desk and making things happen around the clock. I still work a 9-5, so my hours are always after the close of business. Even with lack of my physical presence there, it has been the single greatest investment for me and all my crazy endeavors, Rollett Marketing, Endagon, jamblr, SkatterBand and Rock For Hunger.

Why is this?

1. Creates a more professional appearance. Saying, stop by the office, or meet us in the conference room, is a great way to tell clients that you are very professional about your work. Imagine me telling some of my larger folks, yea stop by the town home, watch out for the dog and sorry we forgot to do dishes so stay out of the kitchen.
2. Makes you look and appear larger than you are. For all the clients that we do have (and I love you all), I still consider us to be a small start-up with major room to grow. Having an office in the center of commerce, makes companies think you have it going on, even in our early stages.
3. Gives me confidence. I feel like I am apart of something great and huge. I can shoot the shit with execs and CEO’s and feel like I am apart of their culture. I want to be at the level where my voice is strong both online and in the community and confidence is key!
4. Central location for all team members, volunteers, employees, etc. Having everyone meet at “our office” is a great way to get everyone organized and in the same place moving towards the same goal. We can have all our materials, training sessions and idea times together, in person, in “our home.”
5. Team building. Being in the office with my partners and employees has brought us closer together(not quite showering close like the Office Newb says). We are not only learning how to start and build companies, websites and start-ups, but we are learning to cultivate relationships that extend beyond working hours. Being in this situation, where they are right next to you all day, you find things that normally wouldn’t show up over a beer at a bar, or on a conference call. Plus the creativity level is at an all time high!

The added expense of being located downtown has been a sore subject and honestly, there were some tough decisions I had to make as a friend and a business leader. When the dust had settled, we are becoming stronger and more focused than ever.

Three months ago if you had asked me what I would be doing, I damn sure wouldn’t have said this. It’s crazy how things work out for the best and by taking chances and risks you open up closed doors to opportunities.

We are closing in on 2 months left in our initial lease and already thinking of the possibilities of moving into a warehouse setting where we can get everyone from all the ventures working and breathing in the same space. This would be ideal:


For now, I’ll just enjoy the view and atmosphere of being in one of the coolest buildings in Orlando! 118 E. Jefferson St.

-Greg Rollett

photos by: Jordi Gomara (itaca2000) and jonathanpoh

Track Star Tuesdays | No More Kings

In the 3rd weekly installment of Track Star Tuesdays, we have L.A. based indie band No More Kings. This band is about to head out on a really cool summer tour and they have an incredible album to help them create revenue.

No More Kings Official Site

No More Kings on Myspace

No More Kings - Astonish Records Store

In typical Track Star Tuesdays fashion, here is the Good and the Bad:

The Good
Great Mysapce – killer design plus its easy to read, very clean and has all merch, calls to action, street team, videos,

Love the Fan of the Week – brings the fans that much closer to the band – should integrate that into main site as well

Own Google 1st page for the search for “No More Kings”

Digital Distribution is on point – iTunes, Amazon, etc

Great Facebook page

The Bad
Not utilizing their blog – not even sure of the purpose of the blog (although they do use their blog on Myspace and get good conversations brewing – move that to a private site to start tracking traffic)

Site is built entirely in flash – alienating slower computers and losing SEO points (not too big a deal)

No ads on site – not a bad thing but a lost revenue stream

My 2 Cents
Watch the Track Star Tuesdays video below to find out!

Click To Play

Who do you want to see next week? let me know and we can make it happen!

Want to Go Viral? - Help Your Fans Make It Viral!

Everyone wants to go viral, whether it be a video, their new CD release, a press or marketing campaign and all those widgets and applications on Myspace and Facebook. Going viral is great, the problem is that not everyone and not every campaign can go viral.

When promoting your music, a new video or even a show, the key to going viral is the ease in which your fans and users can help the process.

YouTube does this with its ability to embed videos on any website that allows for HTML code. Newer video sites such as Viddler, Blip.tv and Kyte also allow for an easy way of transplanting a video from their site to another.

Facebook applications have made it incredibly easy for it to go viral. When you have chosen to install an application on your page, it asks you to send it to any and all of your friends who may be interested in the fun you are embarking on. Some see this as an annoyance, app makers see this as cha-ching!


Trent Reznor and NIN have come out today with a brand new 10 song free album, The Slip, for everyone as a thank you for continued support. Trent has gotten the hang of this internet thing and found a great way for this release to go viral. Not only does he have the blogosphere going crazy with features on Wired, Mashable and others, but when you get to the download page, he does 2 things exceptionally well.

1. The album is licensed under Creative Commons. Trent encourages his fans to re-mix the album as they see fit. The viral reaction will be fans creating mash-ups and telling their friends about them, which puts NIN in the ears of more listeners and the potential for them to become future fans.


2. After you enter your e-mail address for the download link, a new screen appears asking if you would like to send this album as a gift to 3 friends. The thinking here is that the distribution will expand exponentially as each person will tell 3 people who tell 3 people and so on. With this model Trent gets their email address for future promotions and a lot of music into listeners computers.

The moral of the story is that it is great to have free material that you want to get into people's hands. The content is strong and people want the product/service. Now make it easy for them to take the information and spread it.

For extra credit, you can Digg this article and help spread my information all over the internet. (I won't be mad at ya!)

-Greg Rollett

Building Your Own KISS Army: A Lesson In Branding

Tonight we have a special guest post from Eric Hebert. Eric is a music blogger and advocate of the new music business and promotional model, as well as a frequent commenter here. He writes for and runs a great company called Evolvor Media. If you would like to write a guest post that will be heard by musicians as well as marketers, gen-y influencer's and music industry professionals, send an e-mail to rollettmarketing@gmail.com. Take it away Eric!

Many musicians are often uneducated when it comes to concepts like branding, and for good reason - they're musicians, not business people. That's why many bands don't make it without the help of record labels, who DO understand these principles (or think they do anyway).

That's why people like Greg and myself have taken it upon ourselves to teach musicians the ins and outs of branding and creating a fan base, so others can learn a little about the business and hopefully understand it better than before.

To start, let's talk about the concept of what branding is. Many believe branding revolves around creating a logo.

Branding is SO MUCH MORE than just a logo. Of course, having a logo is important. One concept of branding is repetition and familiarity, and having a logo that is used everywhere you go will help create and reinforce this.

Another aspect of branding is your "tag line". This of course cannot be just some catchy phrase - it has to directly relate to your USP, short for "unique selling proposition". This of course is the unique thing that your band or music stands for. If you don't have one, you'd better start thinking of one.

So you have a logo and a USP, is that branding? Sorry. This is where many misinterpret the concept of branding. You see, branding is taking that logo and that USP and using the message you've created to interact with people. The more interaction with your fans, and the more you reinforce the message that you are trying to get across, the more powerful your brand will become and the larger your fan base will be.

This isn't easy - it's hard enough to come up with a consistent message, especially if you're in a band with a bunch of diverse people.

But you don't have to "save the planet" or "end world hunger" to have a strong message. Your USP can simply be "rock n roll all night and party every day". That pretty much sums up the brand that was KISS - rock, roll, party, and have fun. It wasn't the make up or costumes - they just reinforced the idea of what the band was all about.

Read more of Eric's writing on the music business and online marketing and promotion tips at http://www.evolvor.com/blog/.