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What You Can Learn From Guy Kawasaki's Model for Blog ROI

For those who are fans of Guy Kawasaki, there is a phenomenon he is fond of calling "Guy’s golden touch."   It is his own trademark reversal of a well known saying, where he likes to note that "everything that turns to gold is what whatever is gold Guy touches." (Correction for the confusing structure I used before).  One site that is definitely gold right now is Twitter, riding a wave since it’s popularity at SXSW last year, the site steadily seems to be getting more and more users.  Whereas the early reports on Twitter were that it was solely for uber-connected geeks and social media types who had nothing better to do all day than broadcast their latest feelings … Twitter is getting unexpected enthusiasts.  Guy is one of them, using microblogging to help promote his new site, Truemors … and it is just one example of how he manages to use his personal brand to promote the brands and products that he supports (or invests in).

Truemors has an interesting mission – to allow people to share rumours that are true (as opposed to gossip) and accepts user contributed headlines similar to digg or any other content sharing site.  The site’s aim is to help sift through the cascade of content we all deal with everyday.  The juiciest headlines from the site make it into the Truemors Twitter stream and are often irresistible stories to click on, such as "Hugo Chavez Offers to Pose Topless for Naomi Campbell."  Guy also uses his personal Twitter stream to ask questions designed to build buzz about Truemors or to help make it better. 

Most bloggers look at Adwords or Amazon affiliate links as their sole option to make money or get an ROI with their blog.  Others limit their idea of "ROI" from blogging to their own personal brand and nothing else.  Guy’s example shows that these are not the only ways to see a benefit from your efforts in blogging.  He builds trust and respect by continually offering content that is worthwhile and thought provoking, and along the way he integrates the experiences of the brands and companies he supports.  In the end, he avoids coming off as underhanded or selling out and actually makes his blog a promotional platform that justifies the time he spends on it. The ongoing value is clear, whether it was talking about judging a contest for Slideshare, or including a rating widget from JS-Kit.  It’s not about the ad units that he sells through Federated Media.  Guy’s blog demonstrates the power of his endorsement.  And it works too.  Because of him, I have started using SlideShare, iStockPhoto, and now Truemors.

The point is, why have a world renowned blog that thousands of people read if you are unwilling to use it to promote the companies you support?  Especially if you are a VC.  Guy’s golden touch may mean that he associates himself with the right projects, but the irony is that in the process he may just be building his own model to turn startups into gold once he endorses or invests in them.

9 thoughts on “What You Can Learn From Guy Kawasaki's Model for Blog ROI”

  1. Hi Rohit,

    Thanks for the mention! We would be happy to assist in any way adding our Comments, Ratings, & Navigator to your blog, heck Guy did 🙂

    Feel free to reach out to me directly.

    Best,

    Khris, CEO
    JS-Kit

    khris at js-kit.com

    Reply
  2. So Rohit,Am I going to see another JS-Kit rating system embedded in your blog..anyway your clean and clear looking site may fit another bright & shiny bling, I guess 🙂

    Anyway good observation..Was thinking in the same lines when I saw a video of Jeremiah and Guy together talking about future of Marketing and Truemors..Interesting stuff I must say..

    Anyway I would like you to have a look @ this new observation which I wrote in my blog about “Similarity between newly showcased Tata Nano & Apple iPhone” @ https://managementchords.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-tatas-nano-apples-iphone-have-in.html

    Would be waiting for your comments!!

    Cheers

    Reply
  3. Rohit,
    I think that your post may encourage and actually “justify” splogs.

    Basically, Guy’s edge is that his projects a re very cool, thus it works for him. this is the only reason. It wouldn’t work if they were’nt that good.

    Still – istockphoto, slideshare, twitter etc. are wonderful – but this is hardly a technique anyone of us may use.

    Ophir

    Reply
  4. Actually, Guy’s Golden Touch is “whatever is gold Guy touches.” As opposed to, “whatever Guy touches turns to gold.” My point is that evangelism and marketing is easy for great stuff, so if you want to be a great evangelist, evangelize good stuff.

    Guy

    Reply
  5. Ophir – You’re right, it comes down to making sure you are actually evangelizing good stuff (a point Guy makes in his comment as well). Personal reputation is also key here … most bloggers who care about their audience would not endorse something that isn’t worth endorsing. That’s why the endorsement actually matters.

    Reply
  6. Guy & others who emailed – apologies for the confusing structure used at the start of this post to describe Guy’s golden touch. I have corrected to make it clearer.

    Reply

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In addition to Non-Obvious Thinking, Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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