Social Media Strategy in 7 Steps
Are you ready to add some “Why” to your “How”? Tired of chasing shiny objects, and setting up Twitter and Facebook accounts with clear direction, or social media metrics? Then this is the blog post for you. I presented today at Social Media AZ, a conference for Arizonans interested in, and practicing social media. […]
It’s Who You Know – Maximizing Your Company’s Social Reach
Put down your guard. It’s about people, not logos. These are the two primary tenets of effective social media. In practice, executing on them requires that you communicate with your customers and prospects across a variety of social media outposts, with significant frequency. (I tell my clients that if you can’t add at least 7-9 […]
Passion Trumps Position
Are you trying to embrace social media at bayonet point? Yes, you should absolutely broaden your social media efforts, and get more people from your company involved, and in more places. But, you should not do that at the expense of the secret ingredient of social media – Passion. Why do features and benefits-laden messages […]
Danny Brown – The Twitter 20 Interview on Social Media Authenticity
Social media is a means to an end, it’s not the end. That’s the philosophy of Danny Brown, the Scotland-born social media and PR consultant living in Canada. His blog, http://www.dannybrown.me is a must-read, full of timely, practical advice for marketers looking to successfully incorporate social media into the communications mix. Danny is one of […]
11 Timely Social Media Takeaways
Thanks very much for your support of Convince & Convert while I was on vacation in Denmark and Norway. I really appreciate the readership, tweets, and comments about the fantastic guest posts that ran during my absence. Great job by the excellent team of guest bloggers. It just goes to show, Convince & Convert isn’t […]
Can Social Media and Lead Generation Coalesce?
By now, we all know that social media is a fantastic tool for gauging the audience and communicating with previous and current customers. But, can it also be used to lure in new customers? Can social media marketing be paired with other lead generation tactics to create new business opportunities? My initial response was, ”mmh, […]
Can Spam Survive in a Social Media World?
Guest post by Indra Gardiner (@bgindra), President of Bailey Gardiner in San Diego. An award-winning PR and marketing pro, she leads BG’s social media efforts and writes on their Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid Blog. There’s always someone who wants to ruin it for everyone else. Know what I mean? And in the world of social […]
Is Social Media Now Anti-Social?
Guest post by Andrew Freeman (@andrewfreeman), an online Campaign Manager and Media Planner for Sitewire, where he is also a regular blog contributor. Andrew loves marketing, psychology and all things digital, his musings can be read at www.strategicality.com. I am going to go out on a limb and say that I think social media is […]
Use Online Listening for Competitive Research
Guest post by Mike Corak (@mikecorak) who oversees strategic planning, Web development, and marketing services for Tempe, Arizona integrated agency Off Madison Ave. Are your customers telling you everything you need to know to improve the bottom line? Conducting primary market research and audience research, and purchasing secondary studies are fundamental ways communicators inform and […]
4 Brand-Saving Recommendations for Social Media Crisis Management
Is today your Domino’s? Social media can both create and solve crises, and the incredibly fluid nature of social conversations requires brands to be on a constant state of readiness. In April, two Domino’s employees created a foolish and disgusting video, and posted it to YouTube, setting off a firestorm of coverage on Twitter. It […]
Advanced Social Media Synergies
Last week, I was part of a panel discussion on how travel and tourism organizations can move beyond the typical Facebook and Twitter accounts to take their social media efforts to the next level. Part of the annual Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism, I was joined on the panel by the excellent Angela Berardino from […]
Beth Kanter – The Twitter 20 Interview on Social Media and Social Change
Beth Kanter is perhaps the best-known, most-respected voice in the world on the subject of using technology in a non-profit setting. A consultant to non-profits since 1993, her blog is consistently ranked as one of the best in marketing – and for good reason. It’s full of the kind of practical, tangible, viable advice that […]
Crowdsourcing Your Dog Food
One of the most overlooked benefits of building or facilitating an online community around your brand is the market research opportunities. Your brand community – even if nascent and emerging – consists of hundreds or thousands of customers that are familiar enough with your company (and care enough about it) to self-identify as a fan/friend/member. […]
Valeria Maltoni – The Twitter 20 Interview on Conversation and Community
Valeria Maltoni is one of the most widely respected marketing voices in the world. And for good reason. Her extensive background spans marketing, public relations, and social media. If it exists in the realm of communications, she’s done it. Valeria was also an integral nucleus of the Fast Company Company of Friends, a business intelligence […]
Let’s Stop Swooning Over Social Media
Are you overdoing it on social media? Just a little? I’m a proponent of social media. In fact, I’m a proponent that gets paid to convince others that social media is valuable. But, like in the early days of Web design, SEO, PPC, email, and banners before it, there’s too much swooning and not enough […]
Delegation Equals Death in Social Media
Are you just a social media cheerleader? Almost every time I work with a public relations firm or corporation on social media, I hear a version of this statement: “Us old dogs don’t really understand all this new social media stuff, but we’ve got this brilliant young guy right out of school, and he’s getting […]