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, […]

Crowdsourcing: Beyond the Basics

Guest post by Clinton Bonner, Director of Sales at Chaordix, specializing in the technology and services of managed crowds for open innovation and social research. What is the next generation of crowdsourcing? Crowdsourcing is evolving beyond the shiny contest model (Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl”) and into something more meaningful to the brands embracing it […]

Why You’re the Key to Social Media Success

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of companies’ embrace of social media isn’t the tools, or measurement confusion, or even being able to make the time to do it day-to-day. The biggest obstacle is corporate culture. New research from White Horse of 104 companies found that in 86% of companies, executives are not using […]

Is Your Twitter Addiction Paying Off

Twitter can suck you in to a vortex of counter-productivity like one bite of that KFC Double Down sandwich. I love the Twitter culture and community, and I spend quite a bit of time using Twitter. It also continues to be a reliable conduit for new visitors here at Convince & Convert. Maybe you found […]

Driving Sales with Relevancy and Utility

Guest post by Jeff Molander, professor of digital marketing at Loyola University’s School of Business, public speaker and author of a forthcoming book aimed at improving digital marketing results. Find him at jeffmolander.com In this economy need is the new want. And exceptional businesses are realizing tangible, meaningful outcomes using social media & mobile marketing. […]

4 Detective Tricks to Find Your Customers in Social Media

For many companies, the conversation has shifted from “why” or “should” we do social media, to “where” and “how” social media should be done. A major component of answering those questions effectively is understanding in which social outposts your customers are concentrated. Because there really is no benefit in beating your customers to the punch. […]

It’s Time for Real-Time

When I was a kid, I set a few goals: Having a laundry chute (I’m easily amused) Having a pool table Owning my own company Learning to play guitar Writing a book The first three I got handled pretty easily. Turns out, I’m totally non-musical, so that guitar thing is going to be tough. But, […]

Are You Ready for the Opportunity Economy?

Sure, the speed and always-on nature of the real-time Web makes it a daunting and challenging environment. A single tweet, YouTube video, or blog post can be the spark that sets off a firestorm of controversy. But while companies are rightly trying to get their heads around the concept that every customer is now a […]

Delivering Happiness Delivers Indeed

Yes, nice guys can finish first. This is the overarching theme of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s new book Delivering Happiness, a Path to Passion, Profits, and Purpose. Released today (I was given a free, preview copy), Delivering Happiness chronicles the rise of Zappos from a half-baked notion to multi-billion dollar pinnacle of high touch customer […]

What BP Can Learn from Umpire Jim Joyce

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We don’t ask for much, really. We may be the least vindictive, grudge-holding society ever. For the most part, we’ve forgiven Tyson, Clinton, Nixon (my father-in-law is still a hater), Tylenol and about 63,157 other transgressions. We’ll forgive Roger Clemens. We’ll be okay eventually with Mel Gibson. Same thing with Marion Jones. And Tiger. But […]

Making Boring Things Sexy – the Wufoo Way

Guest post by Jason Amunwa, who is a marketing consultant and designer at JaffyDesigns in San Diego, CA. He writes for marketing blog The Zest, loves talking digital marketing strategy and is suspicious of helicopters. About a week ago, I was hungrily feasting on Jay’s post about why info is only boring if we make […]

Do You “Like” How I Look In These Jeans?

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Is the interconnected Web bringing us together, or making us all distracted voyeurs? Apparel company Diesel – who’s aggressive marketing is consistently noteworthy – has rolled out perhaps the first-ever integration of Facebook “likes” in a dressing room…. Diesel boutiques in Spain now come equipped with the Diesel Cam, where shoppers can try on garments […]

The More Things Change, The More Things Change

Social media hates the status quo the way Kobe hates Shaq. The way Donovan McNabb hates T.O. The way Lindsey Lohan hates non-alcoholic beverages. Just when you think you have some modicum of a handle on this industry, new developments come along and shake up your head like a snow globe. The good news is […]

14 Things I Think I Think About Social Media

This is a video interview that my friend Mike Stelzner of Social Media Examiner did with me a few weeks ago. Other than the extraordinarily unflattering camera angle, it turned out pretty well (especially the super cool SME opening animation) 14 key points are below: Jay Baer Interview from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo. What […]

Digital and Dollars – Successfully Adding Online Marketing to Your Agency Services

I recently returned from my first-ever trip to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. I was there speaking at the Counselor’s Academy PRSA annual conference. (Counselor’s Academy is the section of PRSA for owner’s of small and medium independent agencies). One of the highlights of my trip was conducting a breakout session with my good friend and […]

Are You Suffering From Premature Calculation?

Originally, he was called Machaca. Two problems arose. First, very few people (even here in Arizona) knew what Machaca meant, so we were constantly having to explain it. Second, he just didn’t “seem” like a Machaca. So, in a flash of four year-old inspiration, my son switched our dog’s name to “Cheeto”, and it fit […]