96% of new media writers agree

And here's a graph to prove it.

Agree with what? Who cares; I made you look.

Graphs, photos, videos, maps, interactive games, satellite photos; use them all to grab browsing readers and pull them in.

This is for you

That's it. The headline and graphic. My gifts to you.

The point is, readers came to your site for SOMETHING, so you'd better give them something -fast- or they're gone, faster than your last paycheck.

Deliver new media content up front. Make a promise in the headline and pay it off in the first sentance or two, or at least hook readers with the expectation that they will find something interesting soon. What reader need will you fill? If you can't fill a reader need, why are you blogging? If you just like to write, buy a diary.

It's not all about gimmicks. I'm actually a medical writer (like you care) and my articles can get long and complex. Still, I tell the reader up front what I'm going to deliver, and pay it off as quickly and clearly as possible. "Don't touch that dial...here's what you came for."

Did he just use a radio metaphor to describe writing for new media? And sneak two keywords into his last sentance?

Why learning new media is essential

This powerful video was created by Socialnomics09; check out their YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/Socialnomics09. Much of the data can be found in Digital Marketing by Wertime and Fenwick, who cite the original sources. Quite simply, new media is more than the wave of the future; it's a tsunami, and it's happening right now. We will learn to use it well or become marginalized (and ultimately extinct) through digital Darwinism.

Viral marketing resource

Viral marketing (AKA buzz marketing) is the new media extention of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. WOM can make or break your brand more effectively than any other avenue. Download this informative PDF at http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/documents/Viral_Marketing.pdf

New media strategy: brand storytelling

Stories can be compelling because they're personal, and new media is, above all, personal. Storytelling not only engages readers, it expresses your brand personality. A well-told story also resonates with readers, forging a bond and inviting readers to join the conversation with stories of their own. At its best, a good brand story can transition the prosumer from awareness to trial to advocacy.

Fishing for customer stories
Once people use your brand to describe their life (a Mac user, a Harley owner) they have brought the product into their personal story, and brand exposure will increase exponentially. This promotes viral marketing. My agency services the professional oncology/immunology community. Imagine if physicians started putting stories involving your brand on physician sites like New Media Medicine or Physician Connect at Medscape Oncology. The potential for patient testimonials or Q&A sites is obvious as well. Check out this article on brand storytelling with new media at http://www.bloggapedia.com/blog_post.php?p=Fast-Companys-Most-Innovative-Marketing-Expert-Blogs-1300610.

Use the synergy of new media

Write articles and slide presentations giving away content on Linkedin, Facebook, and your blog to drive people to your web site and Twitter. Use Twitter to direct people to your YouTube video channel, Linkedin, and Facebook. Use your videos and slides to provide content and promote your brand while directing people to your blog and web site, Linkedin, and Facebook pages. Everything drives traffic to your web site, where you integrate the most marketable elements you have gleaned from your social media sites, and promote your brand. It's the wheel of life. Other specific sites will be appropriate depending on your product, client, and target audience.

Target your audience

Greg Satell offers the following words of wisdom in his new blog, especially appropriate for our oncology/immunology agency: "Narrow your target: Just because the internet allows you to reach the whole world, doesn’t mean you should actually try to do it. By highlighting a few communities you can not only focus the intensity of your marketing efforts, you can more quickly reach critical mass within those communities and promote word of mouth." Read him at: http://www.digitaltonto.com/archives/49.