The Awesome Power of Family in Social Media Storytelling

chompies

In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to write a post about the power of family in social media storytelling. And as you sit down to whatever celebration you embrace, think about the videos below and what they evoke within you. But first, remember that the goal isn’t to be good at social media. The goal

Is This The Greatest About Us Page Ever Written?

The History of Royal Plantation, Formerly Plantation Inn in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

This is an era without information gatekeepers, and every company needs to think of itself as its own TV station, magazine, and newspaper. This puts a spotlight on businesses’ ability to tell their own stories with nuance and impact. Those stories don’t have to be solely contained on your blog, or your YouTube videos, or

How to Humanize a Sketchy Industry

Humanization Highway

Social media is about people, not logos. I saw a presentation at the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Forum in Austin a few ago from Eric Granof, CMO of ExpertBail, which seeks to become the country’s first branded network of bail bonds companies. Like video stores before Blockbuster, and ice cream parlors before Dairy Queen, Expert Bail

Why Should Old Spice Get to Have All the Fun?

Clinton Bonner (clintonbon) on Twitter

Guest post by Clinton Bonner, President of NoSox Productions; a character based brand story-telling firm out of Westbrook, CT. It was 2010… The Toyota Sienna Family somehow made mini-vans cool and the Old Spice Guy literally rode-in on a white horse and into our social lives. The emergence of amazing character-based brand storytelling on the

What I Learned About Humanity From a Steakhouse

Myril Arch Placement

Last week, in the post “Why Your Special Offer Isn’t” we talked about the importance of humanization. Faced with an invitation avalanche, consumers will respond to the stories that resonate with them on a personal level. And those stories don’t just have to live in social media. Myril Arch’s Story — Humanizing a T-Bone Recently,

Humanizing a Critically Important Industry, From the Ground Up

KNow a California Farmer

The public dialog about agriculture in California and beyond is largely negative, with tales of agribusiness nefariousness commonplace. This is despite the fact that 98% of America’s farms are still owned by families. Farmers are literally feeding us every day, but are routinely pilloried in social media and elsewhere by a very vocal minority. This

5 Step Process for Social Media Success

social media success process

Social media makes big companies feel small again, and gives small companies a natural advantage because they are closer to their customers. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you have interesting stories to tell. Finding and sharing them is the first step toward social media success. What is your process for harvesting stories within

3 Ways Infomercials Can Inspire Your Social Media

I know, I know. You’re thinking that I’m crazy. But, I’m not. I’ve been in marketing or advertising (online or otherwise) for 20 years. I’ve been thinking lately about why I got involved in social media. What was the attraction? I’ve realized it’s THE TRUTH. That’s something sorely missing from a lot of traditional advertising,

Information as Theater – The Power of Humanized Description

information as theater

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

Trey Pennington – The Twitter 20 Interview About Social Media and Humanity

dr trey pennington

Dr. Trey Pennington has a full plate. He has an active consulting practice, a forthcoming book called “Spitball Marketing”, a blog, an online radio show (the must-listen “Social Media Professor“), and a Facebook page. He’s also founded several Social Media Clubs world-wide, and is active in a bunch of local and South Carolina organizations. (He’s