The Science of Inequality – Finding Your Influential Customers
Does social media breed inequality? Because our behaviors on the social Web leave a noticeable fingerprint, smart companies can modify the way they engage and interact with us, based on our social graph, purchase history, etc. Would the VP of Customer Satisfaction of Southwest Airlines have called Kevin Smith at home (after he was kicked […]
Information as Theater – The Power of Humanized Description
I am typing this on a US Airways flight from St. Louis to Phoenix, coming back from SocialFresh. I’ll probably fly 150 segments this year, which is a lot, but nowhere near Chris Brogan territory. Today, I’ve fortunately been upgraded to first class, which happens infrequently because I travel enough to make it exhausting, but […]
Is Social Media Too Big For Its Britches?
Maybe what we need is a little deconstruction. At Monday’s Social Fresh conference in St. Louis, I was delighted to join Sarah Evans, Jason Falls, Amber Naslund, and Zena Weist on the closing panel discussion. During the session, an audience question got me fired up (no surprise, as the Social Fresh attendees were a very […]
Nobody Said Social Media Was Easy
Social media isn’t inexpensive, it’s different expensive. In the QA portion of recent speeches, I’ve frequently been asked “this is great, but doesn’t it seem like it will take a lot of time?” Yes. It. Will. Succeeding on the social Web requires daily participation. Whether it’s brand reputation management, PR and influencer outreach, customer service […]
Does Your Blog Have a Long Tail
Most smart bloggers try to focus on a few, key search terms in their blog content. But the reality is, your blog is probably a lot more broad than you think. Last week, I co-published a white paper with Chris Baggott, the CEO of Compendium Blogware (I’m on their advisory board). The free “Blogging’s Long […]
Why Content Marketing Matters To Me And Should To You
Last week, Joe Pulizzi and his merry band of content strategists at Junta42 released new metrics, ranking the top content marketing blogs in the world. And guess what? The very blog that you’re reading came out #1. Thank you to everyone who reads Convince & Convert. Your feedback, comments, and support are what keep me […]
The Key to Social Media Success is Just 2 Letters
I’m sitting in a restaurant in Cincinnati recently, surrounded by televisions with the sound turned down. The bartender approaches, and asks if I’d like to hear the TV. I say “sure” expecting him to saunter over to a monitor, and turn up the volume. Instead, he reaches under the bar, and pulls out a Soundog […]
The Best Advice Has No Shelf Life
Who Influenced You? All of us have influences. People who have educated, inspired, engaged, supported us. Or maybe just kicked us in the ass when we needed it. Tell me in the comments who influenced you and why, and you could win a copy of the uber-classic book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.“ […]
The Truth About the iPad
Are you old enough to remember when the TV remote control was invented? I sure am. Before that fabulous, glorious day, one of my jobs at home was to jump up and twist the channel knob at the whim of my parents, like some sort of orthopedic carpal-tunnel experiment gone astray. But progress sometimes comes […]
Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential
Are you too dismissive of Foursquare (as well as Gowalla and the other geo-location apps)? I’m starting to hear a lot of smart people scoff at these services, primarily along these lines “Why do I care where someone is eating for lunch?” The last time I heard that line of reasoning en mass was when […]
Build Your Brand a Social Content Ladder in 5 Steps
Sure, social media takes a lot of time, but probably not as much time as you think. Too many companies and organizations are reinventing the content wheel for every social outpost they maintain. A better approach is to create a content ecosystem that allows you to repurpose and cascade your best information. Instead of a […]
Get Your Social Media Story Straight
This is the best ad I’ve seen in months. The chronically bad Minnesota Timberwolves NBA franchise has this sign in the Twin Cities airport: Bravo. Talk about an ad that’s chock full of truth and authenticity. The team’s record for the last five years: 2009-10 (14-60) so far 2008-09 (24-58) 2007-08 (22-60) 2006-07 (32-50) 2005-06 […]