The Hired Guns Blog

Bullet Points: Embrace the Fail

The Hired Guns — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:48:06 +0000

Should we be trying to learn from freshly shut-down companies the same way we try to learn from shiny new startups? [Washington Post]
It’s “practically a religion” in lots and lots of offices, but does brainstorming even work? [The New Yorker]
Leonardo da Vinci, failure. [Boxes and Arrows]
Social media has had lots of successes, but that doesn’t mean that any of them came without spending real money. Writing in Inc., Hollis Thomases tallies up social marketing’s likely costs, using everyone’s favorite viral, that Old Spice guy, as an example.
Why is the talent pool in IT, entertainment, and management so shallow, and why are the wages so high? Maybe it’s not that the raw talent’s so rare — it’s that it’s just really, really hard to identify it, and to train it once you do. [Marginal Revolution]

THG @SXSW: Salary Negotiation Secrets No One Ever Taught You

Jim Hopkinson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:00:02 +0000

In preparation for next month’s SXSW Interactive, we’re profiling the Hired Guns who will be presenting. Up for today is Jim Hopkinson, the Salary Tutor, who will cover something very near and dear to our heart — getting paid what you deserve.

Salary Tutor: Become a Salary Negotiation Rockstar
Saturday, March 10, 12:30
Presenter: Jim Hopkinson

Your Twesume
(your resume in 140 characters or less):
I’m an author, speaker, and teacher on the subjects of new media, branding, and career development. Runner, sports fan, geek, city-dweller.

Why did you want to speak at SXSW?
I’ve attended SXSW the last three years, and have thrived off of the energy, the people, and learning about “what’s next.” I wanted the chance to give back to others. Since I love to speak and had something to talk about this year, I applied and got accepted.

Who’s your talk for? (Who do you want to show up?)
I joke that my presentation is only for people who want to make more money at their jobs — anyone wanting to decrease their income should probably pass. While I feel that it will be beneficial for recent grads, entrepreneurs, and experienced professionals alike, probably the people with the most to gain are those in their 20s who are going for their second or third job.

What will people walk away learning from you?
People will walk away with three things: 1) An overview of the latest job-market trends, 2) Useful salary negotiation tips based on FBI hostage negotiation techniques, and 3) A good laugh once they see a badass photo of me from high school leaning against a baby-blue 1975 Dodge Dart.

What do you hope you learn from your SXSW experience?
I think it’s easy for people to get caught up in their own world throughout the year: in my case, living a very New York–centric lifestyle. The best part about the experience is going to Austin with an open mind, hearing new ideas and stories from people in Silicon Valley or San Antonio or Singapore, and by the end of the week starting to see a common thread emerge.

Any lessons learned from past years?
The #1 lesson is not to try and do too much. You can’t see every presentation and go to every party, so go for quality connections with great people. Oh, and when you hear a rumor that the Foo Fighters are playing a free show at a small venue, get in line immediately (still angry I only caught the last 15 minutes of their hour-long show last year).

Any inside skinny on Austin (especially its nightlife) that you’d like to share?
My nightlife advice is the same as the previous question — there’s enough going on that you can find something good without waiting in line and then having a beer spilled on you. And if you forgo the nightlife scene completely, there’s a SXSW runner’s group that meets in the morning for a run along the river. Scenic views, and a great way to work off a hangover.

Any other panels that you’re especially looking forward to?
I start by filling out my schedule by attending panels of people that I know, and then try to hit all the keynotes and anything else that grabs my attention. When in doubt, I lean toward solo presenters vs. multi-person panels, since I feel you get more bang for your buck. Beyond that, I’ve learned not to try to organize too much — some days you’ll miss the one speech you really wanted to see (and later find out it stunk anyway), while the most rewarding ones can be a spur-of-the-moment decision that you duck into with no idea what to expect.

Why Modern Marketers Need to Do More Than Just “Love Data”

Tom Burg — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:43:56 +0000

As I wrote in a a post last year, we’ve entered the era of using data to tell stories. Natalie Zmuda’s article in last week’s Ad Age, “When CMOs Learn to Love Data, They’ll Be VIPs in the C-Suite,” did a good job of explaining the other side of the data coin –- using data to inform and power marketing programs. Marketers haven’t been lacking for data; instead, the issue has been about how to contextualize the information and how to separate the truly important from the irrelevant.

But the truth is that marketers have two responsibilities with data, and the Ad Age article really only addresses one of them. The other, I’d argue, is that CMOs need to actively start and nurture a relationship with their CFOs. It’s not enough to utilize data to help drive marketing programs: it’s also critical to understand those metrics that are most importance to the CFO, who looks at marketing as a cost center. By agreeing on the business drivers with the CFO, a CMO can work to make marketing be thought of more as an investment, where if you give marketing a dollar they’ll return you five. It’s only then that companies will be able to get the most from the flood of marketing data now available.

What Marketers Love About AdWords on YouTube

The Hired Guns — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:00:20 +0000

The post below, by the Internet marketer Jacqueline Dooley, previously appeared on her blog, Search. Click. Find.

Last October, Google announced the introduction of TrueView Video ads on its agency blog. This is a format that shows ads in-stream in a YouTube video. The ads are skippable, and advertisers pay on a cost-per-view basis.

FUN STAT: “TrueView in-stream now delivers more than 18 years of video each day for advertisers.” So it’s kind of like an Orwellian nightmare, but in a good way!

Why am I blogging about this now, a good five months later? Well, because the fanfare around TrueView video advertising wasn’t really rolled out with a bang. In fact, it seemed to be just the first step in the YouTube/Adwords migration, because on December 1, 2011, YouTube’s “Promoted Videos” were renamed as “TrueView in-search” and “TrueView in-display” ads. And here’s the thing… that is BIG news!

It’s really exciting, amazing stuff, because it takes the power of the AdWords platform and puts it in the hot little hands of do-it-yourself search marketers like me! But there’s MORE! We get to use actual VIDEO as our creative now. Do you know what that means to someone who has been peddling 90 character text ads for the last ten years? Finally, I’m in the IT crowd of media vehicles… VIDEO!

So why isn’t anyone else excited about this? Maybe it’s because Google seems to be all over the place with this new functionality. I found at least three separate pages introducing advertisers to this functionality.

The Google Video Ads – Introduction page appears to be the official announcement/introduction page for this new feature. It explains the significance in a very succinct way — “This new feature enables advertisers to use a dynamic, auction-based system to easily place and manage video ads on YouTube and the Google Display Network, helping extend your campaign’s reach.”

YouTube covers the news on this page although it still refers to the TrueView ads as “Promoted Videos.”

Here’s the official TrueView page on YouTube, which basically says the same thing as the above page and covers the available TrueView ads.

Here are the various formats available (Source: Google):

TrueView in-stream ds: Ads play as a pre-, mid-, or post-roll on YouTube partner videos of all lengths. After an ad plays for 5 seconds, viewers get the choice to skip it or watch the rest. You pay only when viewers watch 30 seconds of the ad, or to completion if the ad is less than 30 seconds.
TrueView in-search ads: Ads are triggered by user search terms on YouTube. Ads rise to the top of Promoted Video search results and suggestions. Viewers see certain ads promoted (placed above others or suggested) and click to watch if interested. Pay only when viewers choose to watch your ad.
TrueView in-slate ads: Ads play before long-form YouTube partner videos over 10 minutes. Before a video plays, viewers choose to either watch an ad from one of three different advertisers, or to watch regular commercial breaks during the video. Pay only when viewers choose to watch your ad.
TrueView in-display ads: Ads are promoted against related content across the Google Display Network. Viewers click to play the ad if they are interested. You pay only when viewers choose to watch your ad. Display ad formats will vary by publisher. On YouTube, the ad appears as a highlighted suggested video.

All of the above formats can be managed in AdWords. Just log into your Adwords account and either create a new campaign (highly recommended) or create a new ad in an existing campaign. Then select “Display ad builder.” (I know this is completely not intuitive and makes no sense, but currently that’s how it’s set up.)

Next, select “Video” under “Media and Channels”:

Next, select the video ad format you want (I selected the YouTube Promoted videos):

Next, you will be prompted to select your video or channel from YouTube and create accompanying ad text. You also have the option of creating a call-to-action overlay. What’s that, you ask? It’s a bit of text that you can incorporate into your video which enables users to click through the video to your site (because these videos are being shown on YouTube, remember).

I love the call-to-action overlay and think it deserves one more sentence. Per Google: “The overlay will appear as soon as the video begins to play and can be closed by the user. You can use the overlay to share more information about the content of your video or to raise interest in your channel, other videos, or additional websites.” The best part? THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE IF SOMEONE CLICKS ON YOUR OVERLAY! THAT IS RIGHT. YOU HEARD ME CORRECTLY. TURNING OFF THE CAPS LOCK NOW. Here’s an example of the overlay, courtesy of JohnHaydon.com.

And there you have it — insta-video-advertising! Assuming you have, you know, a video to advertise.

Here’s one last fun link for you — a keyword tool just for YouTube, so you can gauge the volume of keyword searches JUST on YouTube.

YouTube Keyword Suggestion Tool

Enjoy!

Jacqueline Dooley has over 12 years of online marketing experience, much of that focused in the area of search marketing. She is AdWords Certified and was a featured speaker at Search Engine Strategies in 2007. Jackie is a member of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Institute (SEMPO) and a contributing author to SEMPO’s advanced search training program.

Bullet Points: Keeping Counteroffers Off the Table

The Hired Guns — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:06:02 +0000

Everyone in HR knows that between “67% and 80% of those employees who accept a counteroffer leave in the next 6 months.” But that doesn’t mean these sometimes desperate-seeming tactics aren’t also super-common. Here’s what recruiters need to do to counter those counteroffers effectively. [Recruiting Blogs]
If This Isn’t How You Recruit, You’re Doing It Wrong. [Inc.]
“So, I’m sitting here wondering why all these talent/HR Pros have jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon? I keep waiting for the great HR blog posts on how Pinterest is the next evolution of Performance Management, or how you can use the Pinterest platform to recruit top talent. And I wait… You see, Pinterest has nothing to offer HR or Talent Pros,” says Fistful of Talent’s Tim Sackett. Some great comments.
Italy is coming to terms with a time when it will no longer be usual for workers to hold the same job until they retire. “The problem is actually getting a job, not being fired from one,” says an under-30 spokesman for the National Youth Council, a lobbying group.

THG @SXSW: Revealing Design’s True Power

Jeff Gothelf — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:29:23 +0000

We have a bumper crop of Hired Guns presenting their ideas at next month’s SXSW Interactive. Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling them, so that you can get a taste of their ideas — whether or not you’ll be making it to Austin yourself. Today’s selection, Jeff Gothelf, will also be cochairing next week’s AgileUX New York City conference.

Demystifying Design:
Fewer Secrets, Greater Impact
Sunday, March 11, 5:00
Presenter: Jeff Gothelf

Your Twesume
(your resume in 140 characters or less):
Interaction designer, author of upcoming book on Lean UX (O’Reilly, June 2012), founding partner at Proof.

Why did you want to speak at SXSW?
SXSW offers an international audience of creatives and technologists with whom conversations about the web, design and technology are always interesting and diverse — plus it’s one hell of a party.

Who’s your talk for? (Who do you want to show up?)
Designers of all flavors — visual, interaction, user experience, industrial. If you design and work with a team, this talk is for you.

What will people walk away learning from you?
Those who attend my talk will be inspired to engage their teammates more effectively and collaboratively when they get back to work after SXSW. I will not only provide the benefits of being more open with design processes but I’ll provide specific ways to kick-start the process.

What do you hope you learn from your SXSW experience?
What exactly goes into Stubb’s BBQ sauce. I kid. Only a little. I do hope to learn how to best engage such a huge, diverse and ever-morphing crowd of folks.

Any lessons learned from past years?
Pace yourself — with everything. There are so many sessions, parties, bars, people, meetups, and free food trucks that it can get overwhelming quickly. Make time for the things you really want to see and do. Everything else will still be there when you come up for air.

Any inside skinny on Austin (especially its nightlife) that you’d like to share?
Regardless of how much you plan or RSVP, serendipity seems to rule in Austin. Last year I accidentally walked into a bar where Chris Cornell was playing on stage. No plans. No agenda. It just happened. See where the Austin evening takes you.

Any other panels that you’re especially looking forward to?
I haven’t had a chance to plot out my sessions attendance yet. . . . I’ll get to that on the plane down.

Bullet Points: The End of “More Is More”?

The Hired Guns — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:10:40 +0000

Hired Guns blogger Jeff Gothelf is cochairing the AgileUX NYC conference, to be held Saturday, 25 February — a few tickets are still available….
The neighbors are a little unsure about the new house that Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, is building. (It’s 40% bigger than Zuckerberg’s, but the Wall Street Journal opines that by “billionaire standards, [her] mansion is nothing special”).
Speaking of Facebook, it’s using you. [NYT]
Stanford University’s online “Introduction to AI” course attracted 160,000 students from more than 190 countries, with a median age of around 30. And about 23,000 of them finished the course. [The Guardian]
Have we reached the end of more-is-more when it comes to online content? Felix Salmon writes that “If we have reached that point — and I hope that we have — it’s a function of the way that the world of the web is moving from search to social.”
Valentines for the curve-loving economic wonk in your life. [Freakonomics]

THG @SXSW: Using an “Army of Interns” to Kick Your Business into High Gear

Larry Smith — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:52 +0000

Marshalling Your Army of Interns
Tuesday, March 13, 3:30
Presenter: Larry Smith

Your Twesume
(your resume in 140 characters or less):
Mine is just six words: “Tell your story, that’s my story.”

Why did you want to speak at SXSW?
I’ve learned so much in the years I’ve gone to SXSW, and I’m thrilled to offer any knowledge I can back. This year I’m leading a “Core Conversation.” It will be a nice change of pace: rather than doing a panel or fancy presentation where I’m the “expert,” I’ll be leading a discussion in a room of very smart people sharing tips and experiences together.

Who’s your talk for? (Who do you want to show up?)
The overwhelmed small- to medium-size business owner who has too much to do and too many good ideas — someone who’s not sure how to implement an intern program that actually helps him with his company/idea rather than one that’s just a distraction that’s ultimately more trouble than it’s worth.

What will people walk away learning from you?
I hope that together, in a smart and fascinating conversation, small business owners will learn the ways to run internship programs that both benefit the business and provide a meaningful experience for the interns. I want people to walk away with an increased signal-to-noise ratio on their in-house intern program, whether that house has one intern or ten.

What do you hope you learn from your SXSW experience?
I want to learn one thing that I can immediately implement on SMITHmag.net, one thing that I will strive to achieve in my business in the next six months, and to make one lasting connection.

Any lessons learned from past years?
Don’t wait in line for parties. That’s for suckers. Grab a few friends and find your own spots and meet whomever you find in those spots. New and interesting people are everywhere in Austin.

Any inside skinny on Austin (especially its nightlife) that you’d like to share?
It’s a great place to take up smoking.

Any other panels that you’re especially looking forward to?
Tech Detox: Can You Survive a Day w/o Technology? … in which we see if Rachel Sklar can survive a whole hour without technology … we’ll all get what will surely be smart, sane, valuable tips on the importance of putting the gadgets away and tapping into our own inner lives.

Bullet Points: Oracle’s Play for Taleo

The Hired Guns — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:32:15 +0000

In a deal worth nearly $2 billion, Oracle intends to buy Taleo, which makes cloud-based “Talent Management” software used by HR departments in 5,000 companies worldwide. The purchase is seen as a move against SAP, which recently bought a Taleo competitor.
The bad first impressions that new employees get during onboarding may linger for a long, long time. [Ere.net]
Helicopter parents are keeping a close eye on their little darlings’ entry into the workplace. But how are companies supposed to deal with it? One consultant goes deep: “You don’t want to block the energy of the parent…. It’s like jujitsu. You just want to channel it in a certain direction.”
In what’s starting to feel a lot like the first dot-com bubble, there are simply not enough great programmers to satisfy Bay Area startups: “Top programmers are like a race car,” says one developer. “Once you get them you don’t want to lose them and you want to get as many as you can.” That’s caused headaches for the talent agency GitHire, which is a startup itself.

Freelancers: How Do You Make Sure You Get Paid?

Allison Hemming — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:44:51 +0000

Earlier this week we asked you to familiarize yourself with the Freelancer Payment Protection Act and the Freelancers Union’s petition in support of it.

We ended up getting some great comments about it, and also got a whole lotta Twitter love. It seemed as if just about all of you had a story about getting stiffed as a freelancer — unfortunately, it almost goes with the territory. On the plus side, you’ve also given us some great ideas about how to avoid ever getting stiffed again, from basics about knowing your client to more advanced methods involving loan documents and copyright law (more on those later).

We’re not done yet, though — we also want ideas from The Hired Guns community-at-large. After all, it’s a pretty sure bet that all of us are going to spend some time in the free agent seat if we haven’t already. So let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter:

What tactics do you use to make sure you get paid for the work you do as a freelancer?

Please take a minute to post your best-kept secret for how to get paid by a client who’s holding back the Benjamins and keeping you from putting food on the table. We’ll review the results and post a story that features the very best ideas!