Maybe You’re Just Not Ready for Social Media
My Mom is a legendary high school English teacher. I took three classes she taught, including one where we studied Oedipus Rex and the difference between seeing and perceiving, which has widespread business and social media implications. Sometimes our brands write checks our operations simply can’t cash. I was in New York last week to […]
When Will the Social Media Losers Emerge?
Today, social media is like a soccer league for seven year-olds: everyone gets a trophy. The vast majority of press coverage and conversations around social media centers around the fact that businesses are DOING social media, not necessarily doing it EFFECTIVELY. Do you know why every article or blog post with even a scintilla of […]
Runza Combines Social Media and Email – Something to Chew On
Remember, the goal isn’t to be good at social media. The goal is to be good at business because of social media. Here’s one of the best ways to live that creed. Proactively use your social outposts to drive behavior among your current and prospective customers that has a higher value than just a one […]
Destroying the 7 Myths of B2B Social Media
B2B social media is one of the most nettlesome of all social media marketing topics. There are plenty of half-truths and misunderstandings about what, where, why, and how B2B social media works (or doesn’t). I tried to dispel the most common B2B social media myths in this Webinar for Genius.com and Focus. Destroying the 7 […]
Mistake Math – Why We’re Valuing Facebook Fans All Wrong
Part 2 of a 3-Part Rant Brands are shouting from the rooftops about how many Facebook fans they have – and the number of “likes” does help you spread your message through the news feeds of your fans (more on that tomorrow). But let’s recognize it takes literally one click of one finger to “like” […]
Travel, Tweets, Trends – Social Media Runs Rampant in Adventure Travel
There’s been a lot of talk (and rightfully so) lately about industries where social media adoption is as slow as a Brett Favre farewell. Financial services. Utilities. Pharma. And a lot more. I’ll write more about those issues soon, but today let’s turn our attention to an industry where social media is thriving like Cher’s […]
microMARKETING Requires Bayonets, Not Grenades
As an experienced marketer who has worked with dozens of big companies in his agency career (he’s currently a VP at Powered), Greg Verdino has had a ringside seat for the evolution of communication. He successfully documents that evolution in his new book microMARKETING: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small. Written with a […]
Why Social Supports Email in the Interactive Marketing Hub
A big distinction between email marketing and social media marketing is the difference between actual audience and potential audience. Email is all about actual audience. If someone signs up for your email updates when you send one out, that person will receive it in almost every case. Will that open it? Approximately 25% of the […]
11 Whys I’m a Social Media Addict
Connectivity Social media brings me closer to people with whom I ordinarily would seldom interact. Family, friends, colleagues. As my co-author Amber Naslund put it once “with social media, my relationships aren’t bound by geography or circumstance.” Exactly. Humanity People always slam Twitter for people talking about “what they had for lunch” but the blending […]
The 8 Wrong Questions PR Firms Are Asking About Social Media
The enthusiasm about social media among public relations professionals is rampant, and encouraging. Wanting to be at the center of a new way to communicate to customers and prospects is a worthy objective. But, under pressure from digital and advertising agencies each looking to be the driver of the social media express, PR firms are […]
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, […]
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. […]
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 […]
18 Social Media Quotes My Wife Is Sick of Hearing Me Say
Subscribe to our new Definitive newsletter: High grade digital marketing guidance, topically sorted, and curated to the max. You pick the categories, we deliver the content. The best content from around the web, on topics you care about and need to be an expert in. In my ongoing quest to have chicken served in every […]
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 […]
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 […]