This morning, standing at the Southwest terminal at TF Green airport in Providence, Rhode Island, I am coining the term (to my knowledge, anyway), "Qualifeyeballs".

If you're reading this, then you probably know what "Qualifeyeballs" are, so we are already on the same page.

Why am I standing at the Southwest gate? I am once again headed to California to meet with ClickAwayCreative clients. Some meetings I look forward to as our agendas are to continue to build momentum we are establishing online. Another meeting or two might be more challenging as my clients are still looking at their new web properties and activities as "expenses" rather than investments.

A large part of that falls on my shoulders to clearly communicate the breadth, depth and VALUE of what we are doing.

So while pondering this challenge, it occurs to me that one of the questions my new clients will undoubtedly have is around the investment we are making in paid search, as it currently accounts for 80-85% of their new site traffic. And by new, I mean 2 months...that's new.

And what will I tell them, when they want to know the value of site visitors we are paying for who don't immediately convert? I will tell them that these are not just random site visitors who hold no value. These visitors have searched related terms, have clicked out of interest in what we are offering, and have come to visit.

That makes them not just eyeballs, but Qualified Eyeballs.

That makes them "Qualifeyeballs"!

There is inherent value in seeking Qualifeyeballs as they are people who are interested. If our site presents us well and provides a valuable experience, they'll be back. We have achieved some awareness that may be acted on or shared with a friend or family. We have made a connection.

Any time we make a connection, any time we are seen by Qualifeyeballs - there is value in that connection. That's not just a visit or a page view.

Earlier this week, I posted a quick note on the ClickAwayCreative Google+ page about an article I came across on ThinkWithGoogle in which they interviewed Wendy Clark, Coca Cola's SVP of Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities.

In the interview, Ms. Clark closed with a powerful thought that has been rolling around in my noggin all week: the idea - the truth - that the humanness of the web is what can (should) truly power a brand's social efforts.  It is in leveraging the humanity of the web's power to connect in a very real, tangible way that we can reflect the truth that business, no matter how small or how large, is people living their lives, trying to reach goals.

As I have been meeting with clients across the country, that statement summarizes the tools and programs we have been building. I have just never been able to describe it so succinctly until now...which is funny given the fact that it so clearly mirrors my own philosophy to doing business.

At its very core, this is the crux of where businesses seem to run into a hurdle in perspective when it comes to a social media program. Traditional marketing has been about forcing a message and tracking a return on that investment.

Social media, on the other hand, is a conversation. A relationship. And just like any real relationship, the "return on investment" is nebulous. It may or may not be direct. It may be in a friend introducing you to someone new rather than becoming deeper friends with that first friend. Maybe you do more things with your current friend. Maybe your friend just tells you funny jokes that make you laugh.

Offline, it is when we step back and appreciate the breadth and depth and diversity of our Lives that we see how we are richer for our social network. And the same is true online. The investment in social is an investment in the tapestry of a business' Life. There are benefits today and benefits tomorrow for tending our connections.

That ROI is different altogether, isn't it?

This morning I am at the local Boys & Girls Club with two of my sons for basketball evaluations, and it reminds me that partnering with businesses is very similar to what we are doing here this morning.

There are a huge number of kids broken into smaller groups. Each group is evaluated on specific skills, then the kids rotate to another station to be evaluated on that skill. For instance, my son's group just went through the "defense" station, which I would liken to a competitive analysis.

Next station is layups...which to me feels like identifying the low-hanging fruit a business has available to create their USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

After that, they work on dribbling (processes that move the business/team forward), and so on until there has been a complete assessment of skills and resources.

It's a fun process. The kids enjoy it, the coaches enjoy it, and the league thrives when everyone participates.

It's that way in business and marketing, too: when we evaluate the skills of the team, when we take stock of the skills each player has, we can create a champion.

Another beautiful, productive week in the Silicon Valley finds us welcoming a lineup of seven - yes, 7 - auto dealers to the ClickAwayCreative partner fold.

As we begin working on our plans to build social media programs as well as performance-based PPC campaigns and other options, we'll also be looking at starting some new initiatives like Google Currents publications, for instance, as a way for customers to connect with the dealerships.

This partnership is in its infancy, so we don't want to spill too many beans here. Suffice it to say, however, that we'll be thrilled to share more as soon as we have more to share!

NEW LIVE SITE!!!

Sleep. You deserve more.

After a few months of diligent work, we sure could use a great night's sleep. And the good news? Getting more - and better - sleep is easier than it's ever been, thanks to the wealth of information and compelling deals available on the entire line of Tempur-Pedic mattresses at http://www.sleepyoudeservemore.com.

Located in San Jose on the corner of Hamilton and Bascom Avenue, the Sleep Store is across the parking lot in front of Whole Foods, and right next door to See's Candies...a fact that just might be responsible for a pound or two as I have stopped in after chatting with Barrie, the Sleep Store's dedicated owner.

Barrie has a store full of American-made beds, bedding and Murphy Beds in store for you - so check out http://www.sleepyoudeservemore.com and go see Barrie today!

This is NOT a duplicate alert - no, no: this is another new site just launched by ClickAwayCreative.com to help the citizens of the world live easier, better lives.

See for yourself!

This site? http://www.montereybaywindows.com. A service of Angle Construction of Scotts Valley, CA, MontereyBayWindows.com places insightful (get it?!) information about replacement windows at the fingertips of the communities that nestle along the sweeping shoreline of the Monterey Bay, from Santa Cruz to Monterey.

Living in Santa Cruz? Live in Aptos? Live in Capitola or Moss Landing or Monterey? Need replacement windows? If you live anywhere in the Monterey Bay Area, visit MontereyBayWindows.com from Angle Construction today and see for yourself how easy it can be to get a great deal on professionally-installed, guaranteed Milgard windows throughout your home!

Great news from the folks at Kiva: they are now enabling fortunate folks like you and I to make micro-loans to people in need in India!

 

Kiva just got more global. Lenders can now make loans as small as $25 to help borrowers in some of the poorest regions of India build sustainable futures. This is the heart of Kiva's mission —bringing opportunity where it's needed most.

What to know about Kiva in India

With 68% of India's population living below the international poverty line, access to affordable financial services is more critical than ever. Kiva's approach is defined by:

• Our Field Partnerships with 3 socially-driven nonprofits — People's Forum, Mahashakti Foundation, and WSDS-Initiate.
• A commitment to serving marginalized communities, including the very poor, widows, and the disabled, who have had little to no access to credit.
• Kiva's overarching goal to connect millions of people around the world through lending to alleviate poverty.

Even if all of the loans on kiva.org/india are currently funded, there will be more chances to support borrowers in this part of the world. Stay tuned, and consider making a loan to another borrower in need.

 

We all download PDF files or get them as email attachments every day. They're a very handy way to get - and share - information in an easy-to-read format.

Well...imagine giving your customers far richer reading experiences instead - experiences that engage them with sound, video, interaction, quizzes, coloring pages, web links and more. Now THAT sounds pretty compelling, right?

And imagine doing that with a file format everyone can read, so there's no new software to install or to learn how to use: Adobe's FREE Reader software, which almost everyone has installed!

If you'd like to explore how we can develop an interactive library of PDF documents to,use in your electronic marketing, contact us today, or schedule a FREE Google+ Hangout Consultation.

Yep...ClickAwayCreative.com is now on Facebook - thanks to a special effort by friends, family and friends of family...we got a quick 30+ "Likers" on our new Facebook page and secured facebook.com/clickawayceative as our nifty url.

Thanks to everybody who helped out!

What is "success" if it's not shared with those who enjoy less opportunity than we are blessed with?

In the spirit of sharing, ClickAwayCreative.com has set up a Team on Kiva.org - and we've made our first donation to the cause: $25 in support of Christine, who lives in Rwanda and has requested a Kiva loan to use for a seedling bed and for labor costs. She plans to use the profits to pay school fees for her children and to pay for medical insurance.

As ClickAwayCreative.com continues to grow, donating to Kiva.org is part of our ongoing plan. Thank you to all our clients, who make our continued participation in Kiva's mission possible through your ongoing trust in what we do to help you get more of the _______ you're after.