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"Buyers listen to stories. They listen to stories unlike anything else today. Harnessing and distributing what your business story is may be the most important thing you can do over the next few months. Learn how to tell your story, because if you don't, chances are your customers won't listen to anything else." Words of wisdom from Content Marketing guru Joe Pulizzi. Get the "full story" here.

The Content Revolution :: How does it affect you?

Idaho County Connects to the World

Written by Mary Mangold
Thursday, 26 February 2009 16:28
Idaho County is the largest county in our great State of Idaho, and is considered by some to be one of the last frontiers of the American West where low populations and wide open spaces are among the things we love about living in this region. I feel quite lucky about the absence of many of the big city issues, the crowds, the sirens and the crime and I can only hope the charm of small town rural life will be sustained for generations to come. What brings people to Idaho County, a territory composed of thousands of acres of public lands, farm ground and 3 major rivers, and a network of trails and backcountry roads that beckon recreationists of all types? How do they find it? Some come to Idaho County to visit family and friends. Others are tired of the rat race and just want to get out of town. Young families visit the area and dream of raising their children in a smaller town. And still there are people who moved away from Idaho County to focus on careers, pledging one day to return to the lovely mountain ranges and river corridors of their childhood memories. The abundant recreational opportunities draw many to this area to explore the miles of trails on snowmobiles, mountain bikes and ATV’s, to hike, hunt, fish, jet boat, view wildlife and to be refreshed by the activities they enjoy. With only one stop light at the corner of Idaho Avenue and Main Street in Grangeville, life in Idaho County might appear on the surface as if the amenities of modern life have not quite made it to our neck of the woods. Despite appearances, you’ll find a robust availability of cellular services (a recent Verizon tower was recently erected in Grangeville) and high speed Internet snaking its way through the nooks and crannies of this variable terrain. In an area where job availability is limited, technology has enabled many to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors where a computer, fax machine, cell phone and Internet connection provide the only tools needed to connect to the world. Over the past 10 years, the somewhat isolated and private world of Idaho County has opened up to the outside world via the Internet, offering a virtual peek into the cozy corner of the world we live in. From rural newspaper sites, real estate sites, Web directories and photo galleries to sites about lodging, municipalities, RV parks, maps, products and services, chambers of commerce, tourism sites, schools and hospitals and other helpful online resources – more and more of Idaho County is showing up on the World Wide Web every day. Depending on the season, the Grangeville Chamber of Commerce site at www.GrangevilleIdaho.com often logs an average of more than 500 visits per day. People are visiting Idaho County online, and then they are visiting Idaho County in person. What are some of the other Websites that represent our area and may attract visitors to the area, which helps to sustain our local economy? LetsGoForASpin.com is a new Website in celebration of Idaho County, its people, places and lifestyles. This is a wonderful collection of stories written by Krista Green who enjoys exploring Idaho County and the surrounding areas, meeting fascinating people and sharing her experiences and adventures with optimism and humor. Don’t miss this wonderful collection of articles written by Krista Green. www.VisitIdahoCounty.com is a a personal project, a community service to Idaho County that I believe will ramp up the online availability of resources in Idaho County. The purpose of this site is to create a comprehensive resource of products, services and other important information in Idaho County. Businesses in Idaho County are invited to submit a free link to www.VisitIdahoCounty.com for more exposure to your organizations online presence. All submissions are moderated and must be approved, mainly to avoid spam type entries. Any valid website or even social media link to a facebook fan page or other blog presence will be approved. If you’re looking for real estate in Idaho County, there are many Websites available to view properties and to make contact with your real estate agent of choice. www.UCMusickAuction.com offers real estate and auction services that are available through United Country Musick & Sons Auction and Real Estate Services also doing business locally in Idaho County as Prairie Community Auction located on US 95 North between Grangeville and Cottonwood. Rick Musick founded his auction company in Grangeville in 1977 and moved operations to the Boise area after the birth his first son. Rick is joined in business by his wife, Nita Musick, Designated Broker, and their son, Earl Musick, Associate Broker, not to mention a great staff of talented professionals who support the Musick & Sons auction and real estate endeavors. This small business is known in the industry for being innovative and forward thinking, and embracing new technological advances in the auction industry. www.MaryMangold.com is a real estate site focused on properties in Idaho County and maintained by ePRO Realtor Mary Mangold, (that’s me, yes) a local agent with United Country Musick & Sons. Mary creatively presents property listings online with flyers, photo galleries and is now featuring videos of each property she has listed, as time permits. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of Websites that tell a story about Idaho County and allow the rest of the world to peek into our unique culture. The Internet as a modern day resource not only allows us to conduct our own research on any subject of interest, but we’ve become better consumers with the ability to compare prices, read consumer reviews and generally find information about people, places and things across the globe. Why even Jim Church of the Idaho County Extension office is posting his own cattle blog these days! To read Jim’s blog, visit www.IdahoCounty.org and click on the Extension Office link on the left menu. With the World Wide Web at our fingertips, the Internet enables Connected Consumers to “surf” the online sites and the places to see and things to do in Idaho County from anywhere in the world. We know the pioneers of Idaho County history traveled difficult terrain and endured wicked weather to deliver goods and services to the people of the region, often taking weeks and sometimes months to get supplies to their destination. Today, we can send an e-mail in seconds to anyone in the world, shop for goods and services from our desktop and receive delivery in days, not weeks. We can check the weather forecast, get the daily news and download music through a few strokes of the keyboard and clicks of the mouse. Idaho County is a vast landscape with locations that are rough and physically difficult to navigate. Online however, the footprint of Idaho County is becoming more and more accessible than ever before. Our local Websites provide information, products and services to the outside world that can have a stabilizing affect on our local economy. Local merchants who will expand their advertising to include a presence on the Internet find that they can attract visitors from as close as Lewiston Idaho, Walla Walla, Washington and Boise, Idaho and as far away as Europe and Asia. Idaho County is a great place to explore online, and an even better destination to visit in person. For more information about Idaho County, visit www.IdahoCounty.org or contact Mary at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Last Updated on Saturday, 20 June 2009 16:58

Key Concept: The Power of Community

Written by Mary Mangold

Tuesday, 09 September 2008 04:35

Put human beings with a common interest together and you will have a discussion, a conversation. Put them together on the Internet and you have the beginning of an online community. The Internet provides a vehicle for mass participation, resulting in Online Communities that discuss every item of human interest you can imagine, and then some.

People relish the opportunity to contribute to and to participate in online discussions. They also see benefit in "listening" to what others have to offer in the way of help and advice, posted freely on a List serv, Group, Community, Forum or electronic bulletin board.

A new dimension has developed with the growth of online communities. In certain "birds-of-a-feather" discussion groups, the users have discovered a new power gained by being a member of a community. This phenomenon can be referred to as the electronic user's group. In this scenario, users will often express either their satisfaction with a certain product / service, or their dissatisfaction. Either way, the discussion often snowballs into what is sometimes referred to as a thread or a Discussion. Other users and prospective users will add their comments and questions. The discussions can get heated.

Vendors are often members of online community or receive copies of the messages exchanged within the community about their products and services. Often, they elect to respond. In some cases, their response is an explanation to clear up a misunderstanding or mis-communication. At times, complaints are addressed and refuted. The vendor also has the opportunity to take immediate action to resolve the issue and report their resolution to the community members! Vendors who promptly address the needs and concerns of their customers gain by developing a product and brand loyalty to the vendor by the community members.

To understand this, realize that there are literally thousands of current and potential users who have an interest in a particular vendor or service provider. This can also be a public service electronic users group who read and participate in these discussion lists. Each one has the potential to walk into their office meeting and report what they just read on an Online discussion. Effectively, tens or even hundreds of thousands of consumers, american citizens, focus groups or professionals might hear the "bad news" and the vendor knows that!

Here is the key:

Any vendor with an eye toward the future knows that they cannot ignore such a powerful user group.

Content Revolution

Written by Mary Mangold
Friday, 29 August 2008 19:11
As a web services provider, I try to stay in touch with current trends in the rapidly evolving virtual world by wading through the massive amounts of information available to web services providers both in print and online. As a self employed web services provider, spare time is a commodity, but fortunately I enjoy reading out on the deck or the front porch as a restful way to uncoil myself and also to continue in my endeavors to self educate. After all, information is power, and power often transforms itself into intuitive ways to generate income ---> My Web Mantra. I recently purchased a book that is key to the content marketing side of content management systems. It underscores the movement of businesses everywhere who are innovating their marketing approach to create content and deliver it to customers online. The book is titled "Get Content. Get Customers." and is written by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett. These two brilliant internet marketers promote the book as "A Marketers Guide to the New Social Media". The book outlines, in common language their helpful guidelines on "how to use content marketing to deliver relevant, valuable, and compelling information that turns prospects into buyers". For me personally, owner of Wild Web West, LLC, I have worked almost 10 years growing my company, learning all the ropes, through sheer passion and hard work, and without a need for advertising, the word-of-mouth referrals have sustained Wild Web West's continued growth in a nice relatively rapid pattern. Whenever I felt my plate was getting too full, I simply looked for ways to streamline some part of my business, and I also made gentle increases to my hourly rate for services rendered. But now. Yes, now, with my plate spilling over, I have gleefully found that Content Management Systems are the right tool for me personally as well. I have launched CMS as the power behind two primary websites that are key to my professional career direction: 1. www.WildWebWest.com - the site you are visiting now 2. www.MaryMangold.com - a site that communicates information about Real Estate as a licensed Idaho Real Estate Agent. In both cases, the Content Management System I have chosen to install is Joomla, and with Joomla, my marketing messages are accessible 24 hrs a day 7 days a week across the globe to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. My real estate clients deserve the expansive potential of the skills I am using to market property to a target audience of buyers who are seeking vacant land or homes for sale in the region of Central Idaho. I am providing this exposure at www.MaryMangold.com My website clients deserve the exposure gained by promotion of my web services through the examples set by their custom designed websites. I am providing this exposure at www.WildWebWest.com If you are curious about Content Management Systems or Content Marketing, I do recommend starting your research by purchasing this book, which is posted on the right hand side of this article. The book will offer valuable information that will help you to innovate the way you are marketing your business now, and may open the doors to increased revenues through your willingness to "deliver relevant, valuable and compelling information that turns prospects into buyers". "Just a few years ago, it would have been laughable to imagine that a very small organization could create and maintain a website that could be updated daily - and that would allow visitors to interact and even buy products and services. Today, it's not only possible, it's pervasive." [ Source: Get Content. Get Customers. - Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett ] Contact Mary Mangold to explore the possibilities of a Content Management System for your online presence and join the Content Revolution
Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 June 2009 19:55

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