I asked the audience if anyone had ever heard the phrase, “dancing on a shifting carpet”. Since it’s so integral in my life, I was quite surprised when no one had. Dancing on a shifting carpet speaks to one’s ability to maintain grace and poise, while the ground moves unpredictably. During the most chaotic times, I draw upon Grace Kelly and Fred Astaire.

However, it also fits when developing an online marketing campaign. There can be so many variables, so much research to be compiled and compared, that a clear picture of valuable action may not become clear until the final few hours.

The information to be included in the campaign, will change from company to company, client to client, based on a number of variables. Of course, there are a few basics to be included: recommended placement, placement target audience, ad sizes, etc.

However, when deciding between contextual advertising, behavioral, or retargeting; static or flash; networks or affiliates – the inter-relationships can be complicated. It takes cunning and skill, along with grace and poise, to make sense of it all.

I cover a lot of this in my presentation.  So take a look at the slides below, and give me a call if you’d like to learn more.  Until then, keep dancing!

Maurrean
901-888-5862

Steve, the new guy

Hello!  As the newest member of the LunaWeb family, I want to take a moment to introduce myself.  I joined the team this week as the director of business development.  And while I officially started on Monday, I was able to get an early start last week by giving a marketing presentation at BarCamp Memphis last Saturday which LunaWeb spearheads for LaunchMemphis every fall.  If you aren’t familiar with BarCamp, it’s a un-conference that has an international presence that we’ve been heading-up in Memphis for the past four years.  (All of the presentations/topics are determined by attendees’ votes first thing in the morning – hence an “un-conference”).  BarCamp is focused on the Web, tech, gadgets and how it’s all impacting the community and business. So, it was a great event for learning and networking.

I’m excited to join the LunaWeb team!  Having spent the past few years developing online marketing efforts, I’m happy to join a company whose main goal is to help their clients effectively grow their businesses online.

I’d love to connect with you online.  I’m on LinkedIn and Twitter.  I can also be reached by email: steve [at] lunaweb [dot] com (it’s typed this way to avoid spambots).  Please let me know if I can be of service to you.

I look forward to seeing you online!

Best,
Steve Phipps

P.S.  Below is a copy of my presentation from BarCamp.  Please share your thoughts on any great (or not so great) campaigns that I didn’t cover.

Let’s begin by deciding what BarCamp is not. BarCamp is not like conference you’ve ever been to. You won’t be served cold coffee or cold speakers, and the topics weren’t previously determined with little or no audience input. NOOOO! BarCamp is a knowledge-sharing event wherein people learn from the presentations, and talk to each other to create the value they personally need from the event. BarCamp is a place for you to participate, learn and share. BarCamp is the un-conference.

BarCamp Memphis is interactive and user-generated. Anyone and everyone who comes to BarCamp is invited to come with a topic in hand and prepared to share. Don’t worry if you’re not a legend, neither are most of our presenters. Rather, these are folks from local or regional companies sharing many of the same challenges. Session formats can be a traditional presentation (with or without slides), a Q&A session, a demonstration, a panel discussion or just about any format of your choosing. Just make sure your topic relates to the web, web technologies, geekery, new devices, etc.

At the beginning of the day, everyone votes on the presentations. The result is the most relevant, informative, and interesting conference possible for all its’ attendees. Said simply, BarCamp Memphis becomes what you want it to be.

BarCamp Memphis will also have rooms set aside for open discussion on the topics that matter to you most (i.e. the ones you create), we call these Core Conversations. There will be panel discussions throughout the day on those subjects where two (or more) knowledgeable folks team up to discuss their chosen topic. Even the traditional presentations are more exciting when you get to pick them yourself.

It’s time for bloggers, techies, marketing profs, entrepreneurs, and geeks to unite again at BarCamp Memphis 2010!

LaunchMemphis, with Mercury Technology Labs, is hosting the Business Plan Boot Camp, where new entrepreneurs will be given a push towards business success. Experts from several fields will be on hand with hard-earned advice, while attendees can get tailored feedback on their business plans in several break-out sessions.

Covered topics will include:

• Business plan development
• Legal issues for entrepreneurs
• Marketing
• Financial considerations for entrepreneurs
• Gaining funding
• Finding investors

LaunchMemphis’ goal is to foster entrepreneurial growth within the Memphis community. The group is non-profit and the cost for the Boot Camp is $60 for two days filled with insight (lunches included).

The two sessions will take place on August 15th and 22nd from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Mercury Launchpad located at:

EmergeMemphis, Suite 133
516 Tennessee Street
Memphis, TN 38103

For more information email Chris@LaunchMemphis.com or call (901) 628-4657.

Don’t forget other important dates coming up:

BarCamp Chattanooga
July 25
Chattanooga, TN

Social South (SoSo)
August 21 and 22
Birmingham, AL

SocialCamp Memphis (Organized by LunaWeb through LaunchMemphis)
September 19
Memphis, TN

WordCamp Birmingham
September 27 and 28
Birmingham, AL

BarCamp Nashville
October 17
Nashville, TN

BarCamp Memphis (Organized by LunaWeb through LaunchMemphis)
November 14
Memphis, TN

The best news, however, comes from a recently published LaunchMemphis financial report for 2008.  The program, since its inception, has taken $16k in investment capital and produced nearly $500k in economic impact, all right here in Memphis.

This success is attributed to a host of factors.  Among them is a very dedicated group of founders dedicated to the growth of Memphis’ entrepreneurial community. Eric Mathews, Dave Barger, Harry Brown, Sridhar Sunkara, Chris Allen, Anna Ivey, Gwin Scott, Douglas Scarboro, Marc Diaz, and Lori Turner have all dedicated immense time and effort into seeing this program accomplish all that it has.

[blip.tv ?posts_id=1699139&dest=-1]

LaunchMemphis also owes a great deal of success to its sponsorship base which has consistently provided funding and resources that have helped maximize the programs potential.  FedEx Institute of Technology, Bosco’s Brewing Company, Memphis Regional Chamber, Center City Commission, Sun Microsystems, JumpBox, Cadre5, Flying Circle, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, Naked Lion Brewing Company, Starbucks Coffee, Domino’s Pizza, Neely’s Bar-B-Que, Innova, Mercury Technology Labs, Impact Memphis, Red Bull, Open Road Technologies, Small Business Chamber, Red Bull, LunaWeb, and Rendezvous BBQ, all played a crucial role in events over the past year.

Visit the 2009 schedule for upcoming LaunchMemphis events and links to more information.

blogpost by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

First of all, a HUGE thanks to everyone who had anything to with making BarCamp Memphis the success it was. Attendees, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and planners all came together to make BarCamp Memphis a truly great weekend.

The weekend began, staying true to our Memphis roots, at Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Memphis. We met a lot of wonderful new faces, and found some pleasantly familiar ones there for some great mixing and meeting. The crowd was fun, the food was great, and it really set the mood for our Memphis-style tech conference.

Early the next morning, we were greeted at the Emerge Memphis building by a mountain of Red Bull and a slew of great presentations. Topics varied from Ruby on Rails programming, to RSS feeds. All of our speakers gave home-run presentations including LunaWeb’s Dave Barger demystifying LinkedIn and Mitch Canter teaching attendees to “Make WordPress Dance.” There were also some very passionate words exchanged during a great open conversation about Social Media privacy/etiquette.

Between all of that, and some great Memphis BBQ from Rendezvous, BarCamp Memphis was one of our best events yet with the Memphis community. Thanks again to absolutely everyone who made it possible!

blogpost by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Come Ready to Present
This is first on the list because it is simultaneously one of the most beneficial and least used BarCamp options. Speaking gets you noticed, helps you network, and lets other people know what your expertise is. Not to mention, sharing helpful info is great for the Karma. In keeping with promoting the sharing spirit of BarCamp, if you come prepared with a topic to present to your fellow Campers, BarCamp Memphis is free for you. Otherwise a small fee will go to help defray the cost of the conference.

What not to do

Don’t turn your presentation into a live infomercial for your company. BarCamp is about learning, networking, and sharing, and people will notice if you’re shamelessly plugging your brand.
Give your presentation a catchy title, but don’t get so focused on it that people can’t figure out what you’re speaking on. Topic clarity helps everyone.

Join the Conversation

BarCamp Memphis is about networking, making connections, and fostering a forward-thinking tech community in Memphis. The presentations will be a great learning experience for everyone, but your biggest benefit for the day will be from the people that you meet. BarCamp will be a focal point for movers and shakers in the tech community and will be a great place where people with ideas can meet people with talent. Don’t let that opportunity go! Bring your business card, shake hands, speak up, share your ideas, and brainstorm for new ones. Whatever you do, you’ll get more out of your BarCamp experience if you avoid being a wallflower.

Vote

BarCamp Memphis is happening right after election day, so the importance of voting should not be lost on anyone. Be sure you arrive early enough to vote on the topics for the day. Voting makes sure that topics of the day are relevant to you, which is, after all, what makes BarCamp different from everything else.

BarCamp Memphis is on November 8! In the meantime, here are some other great blogs about BarCamp to check out!

What is BarCamp?
LunaWeb

Launch Memphis Rocks Social Media in September
LunaWeb

BarCamp Tips
LaLunaBlanca

Attn Entrepreneurs and Would-Be Entrepreneurs: BarCamp Memphis is Coming
Paul Ryburn

BarCamp Memphis Planning Underway
LunaWeb

BarCamp Evolution
LaLunaBlanca

BarCamp Fee Discussion on Twitter
LaLunaBlanca

BarCamp Memphis – Calling All Thought Leaders
One Half Amazing

BarCamp Memphis: November 2008
Conmergence

BarCamp Memphis 2008 – Be There, Share, Learn
LaunchMemphis

With BarCamp Memphis less than 3 weeks away, it seems time to answer the question, once and for all, “What is BarCamp?”

Let’s begin by deciding what BarCamp, most definitely, is not. BarCamp is not every other conference you’ve ever been to. The ones with cold coffee and colder speakers discussing topics that have been decided, possibly months in advance, with little or no audience input. It is not something you go to planning to sit still, look straight ahead, and try not to cough… or snore. It is the un-conference.

BarCamp is interactive and user-generated. There are pre-chosen topics interspersed throughout the day to help start things off. These topics are things that every BarCamper can use (programming languages, social media, social networks). After that, it’s all up to you. Anyone and everyone who comes to BarCamp can come with a topic in hand, prepared to share it with their fellow Campers. When it’s time to begin, you get to vote on exactly you want to hear that day. The result is the most relevant, informative, and interesting conference possible for you, today. Said simply, BarCamp becomes exactly what you want it to be.

BarCamp will have rooms set aside for open discussion on the topics that matter to you most (i.e. the ones you choose). There will be panel discussions throughout the day on those subjects where two (or more) heads are better than one. Even the traditional presentations are more exciting when you get to pick them yourself.

It’s time for bloggers, techies, entrepreneurs, and geeks to unite! Join the conversation at BarCamp Memphis 2008!

The first event to give Memphis some much-deserved national attention was the LaunchMemphis TechFuel night featuring Business Week writer, Yahoo! TechTicker host, and blogger, Sarah Lacy.  Sarah, being a Memphis native, was already familiar with the local business climate.  After interacting with a full host of entrepreneurs during the stop on her User Generated Book Tour, Sarah wrote an epic blog post about what Memphis is doing right.

The Geoff Livingston tweetup on the 22nd was the second event to spawn great press from a better source.  Geoff, author of Now is Gone and top ranked PR blog The Buzz Bin, met with a group of Memphis entrepreneurs and Social Media proponents at Quetzal cafe, where he got to know several members of the business community, and shared some great conversations everyone there.  Afterwards, The Buzz Bin interviewed LunaWeb President and LaunchMemphis co-founder, Dave Barger, about the future of entrepreneurial Memphis and Social Media.  You can see the post here.

If you missed Sarah and Geoff, there’s still more on the horizon in Social Media.  Upcoming on the calendar is the Social Media Breakfast on October 1.  As well as Barcamp Memphis on November 7-8

It’s an exciting time to be a Memphian!  Let’s keep up the good work and continue to make Memphis great.