Posted in productivity, small business, social media
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2/06 2009

Uncovering Google Wave for Small Biz

There are so many technology oriented blogs in the world that it would be stupid of me to break down Google Wave on my own. The steps Google is taking with this new initiative is going to rock the world of marketing and social media. I thought I would give you a list of links to follow that do a great job of breaking down this new “thing” from Google.

Mashable : The Google Wave Guide

IT Blogwatch from Computerworld

Andy Wibbles : Google Wave Obliterates Everything

The Lifehacker Breakdown

SocialMediaToday: What the Internet’s Been Waiting For

I don’t know about you but I am pretty excited for this new tool. Bring it on!

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Posted in Advertising, Corporate Strategy, Marketing, microblogging, social media, social media marketing, social networking, twitter
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1/06 2009

Twitter More Important than LinkedIN for Business

I love polling. Sometimes you take it for what it’s worth… and sometimes it blows you away. I stumbled across a post by ReadWriteWeb about a polling completed on LinkedIN asking their members What is the most important new platform for brands to master?
 and the results?
librand1
Talk about an interesting development? Facebook even beat out the famous business networking site for social media brand development! What is even more interesting is that small business owners made up 76% of the votes (out of a total of 3,600).

What does this mean for marketing and social media?

Business owners are starting to take notice of the growing trend in the social media world and the ability for businesses to use networks to drive revenue. The influence of the social Internet age is growing exponentially.

My question to all the business owners and marketing directors is this… What are you going to do with this information? Is it time to take the dive and joining the Twitter or Facebook community?

Is your brand going to be hurt if you do not join the masses?

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Posted in Social Media Community, social media, social media marketing, social networking, twitter
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30/05 2009

Is Your Boss Wet-Behind-The-Ears?

I have been really enjoying NPR recently while I am sitting in the office and they have a show on Saturday mornings that is all about the origin of words and phrases. On the show they talked about the phrase: Wet-Behind-the-Ears.

We all have some idea of what the phrase means.. we have probably been called that on numerous occasions. The original orignin from the Phrase Finder:

Origin: The ‘wetness’ is supposed to be from just being born. Ie. you still have the fluid from your mothers womb behind your ears.

The idea of the phrase is that if you are “wet-behind-the-ears”.. you are a beginner.. or a novice..

Many business owners are wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to social media and using it for their marketing purposes.. it is a given across the board. The question is this.. how do you go into a company and convince a business owner to use a tool that YOU KNOW will be huge in the future of marketing?

Show them the art of listening. Give them case studies of companies like Zappos, Comcast, and Dell. Talk to them about the value of collaboration across multiple levels of customer interaction.

It is about listening and then applying what you HEAR to your business model.

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Posted in Social Media Community, Social Strategy, social media, social media marketing
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29/05 2009

The White House Might Understand Social Media

I was listening to NPR while driving home from work and the reporter was talking about the government and the new open information website that the Obama administration has launched called the Open Government Initiative. The basics of the site is an open protal of government information and a communication platform for citizens to give opinions on current policies.

Personally… I did not vote for Obama but I am giving him more and more credit throughout the first 100 days he has been in office. It is a brilliant move to elect a Chief Information Officer for the country. Now there is a huge difference between a move and an actual event happening. I would like to see the open portal start showing information that was not readily available to the public on a scale and has been unsurpassed in recent years.

The critics of the portal say that there is not enough information being stored on the site and information is key to the portal actually… working.

Needless to see.. I applaud the administration for taking the step forward into the world of content generation, information, and social communication in the online environment.

After all… Obama did win the Generation Y vote…and social media was a huge part of that process

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Posted in Social Strategy, small business, social media, social media marketing, social networking
10 comments
28/05 2009

Why Businesses Fail in Social Media

Do you want to know the most important step in implementing a social media strategy for your business? The first step?

Listening and then responding.

What most businesses fail to realize (those who just jump in to social media without a plan) is that the social media sphere would rather be listened to before the communication begins.

The consumer is now in control of the conversation. We are in control of how we respond, interact, and praise/degrade every brand underneath the sun.

Businesses who jump into the conversation and broadcast a message but fail to interact are failing miserably at the art of marketing within social media. It is important to realize the potential of what David Armano calls micro-interactions where you the brand are responding only after you have listened to what your customers are communicating.

Remember to always listen before speaking… respond when necessary and add a little flavor into the mix. Get to know the people you are interacting with.. only then will you realize the full potential of viral growth through social media.

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Posted in social media, social media marketing, social media mission, social networking
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27/05 2009

Getting True Value Out of Social Media

My company, Brandswag, had the pleasure of sponsoring an event that brought Jason Falls to town for a speaking engagement. I really enjoyed listening and meeting Jason for the first time and I will do it again in a heartbeat. Jason talked about the importance of offline networking being a worthy counterpart to social media. I couldn’t agree more.

If I were asked to divulged what I thought was the most worthwhile asset in social media… it would be the relationships forged in the offline environment. As a small business owner you will never understand the true potential of Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIN unless you make the effort to meet your connections offline as well as online.

Next time you are on your network… set up a meeting.

You will not regret it.

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Posted in Marketing, My Life, Social Media Community, small business, social media
5 comments
27/05 2009

What Zig Ziglar Can Teach You About Social Media

I follow Tom Ziglar (the esteemed son of Zig Ziglar) on Twitter almost relentlessly. He posts many one lined thoughts from his father and also some of his own musings that get me thinking on a daily basis. Last night he had a “tweet” with the simple line:

“Happiness is not where or when; it is here and now.” Zig Ziglar

It is amazing to me how simple quotes can unlock an amazing wealth of information from your head… forcing you to think past the daily routine… forcing you to realize the potential of your activities.

Of course… being a marketer obsessed with social media… I had to apply Zig’s thoughts with what we talk about on a daily basis.

When we are debating the use of social media in a business environment whether it is product marketing or reputation management… it is important to remember the thought: it is here and now not where or when.

The world of online communication is creating a chasm where you have to understand the concept of NOW marketing. People are talking about you NOW. Your customers are communicating with your company.. NOW.. There is no when or where.

Only when you shift your paradigm to the here and the now…

Can you understand the true potential of using social media for your business.

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Posted in indianapolis, small business, social media
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22/05 2009

Jason Falls to Visit Indianapolis to talk Social Media

Don’t forget, social media expert Jason Falls of SocialMediaExplorer.com is speaking at the Confluence NorthNetwork on Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00 pm at the Blu Martini at 96th and Gray Rd. This is a really big deal for us, because Jason is a nationally-known speaker on social media, and he’s going to be here in Indianapolis for just a few hours.

His topic will be “The Future of Social Media for Corporations.” If you’re part of a corporation or organization who’s wondering whether to get into social media, and what it’s going to look like in the next few years, this is a must-see.

Besides being a social media geek’s idol, Jason is the director of social media for Doe-Anderson, a brand-building agency in Louisville. He is also the co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. Jason is a widely-respected speaker at conferences and special events throughout the country. He speaks about how social media can build corporate brands, and how corporations and organizations can use social media. His blog is one of the leading blogs on the subject of social media.

Registration begins at 2:30, and Jason will begin speaking at 3:00. The cost for the event is $20, and you can purchase tickets at the Confluence website. The event will be at the Blu Martini, at 96th & Gray Rd.

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Posted in Viral Marketing, social media, social networking, twitter
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21/05 2009

29,000 Reasons To Use Video for Social Media Marketing

According to Mashable there are 20 hours of video uploaded every minute to Youtube.

Hold on one second..  Let me rephrase that for you.

Approximately 29,000 hours of online video content are uploaded to YouTube every.. single.. day.

This rising trend in uploading of video content is showing a transition with how people are communicating. We are demanding more visually stimulating information other than the blog posts, twitter tweets, and facebook messages.  The truth of the matter is this…

You are not going to be uploading video to YouTube in hopes of people searching for and finding the content inside of the site… You are going to be uploading the content to YouTube in order to broadcast it on other communication mediums (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Myspace, and more importantly.. your website).

So what is the best way for a business to use online video? There are two steps:

1. Find a video production company that can help with filming your video or buy a Flip Cam and record it yourself.

2. Call your best clients and ask them if you can feature them on your website.

Get your clients excited about becoming referral sources for your business and use video to push that message.  We are stimulated by the visual representation of the emotion WE want to feel.. Give your potential clients that feeling.

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Posted in Social Media Community, Social Media Expert, blogging, small business, social media, social media marketing, social media mission
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20/05 2009

10 Reasons You Should Not Be On Social Media

I have been researching, reading, and listening for awhile now to the small business world in regards to social media and blogging. There are plenty of business owners and professionals in the world who accept social media as a new form of communications… and plenty who do not.

I decided to write a small guide for business owners to gauge whether or not they should be in social media.

10 Reasons You Should Not Be on Social Media As a Business


1. You would rather not change your business model of communication. You are content with direct mail and email marketing. You are right, they will be around in 5 years.

2. The only computer you have in your office is the black and green screen MAC.

3. You purchased a dial-up modem to “save money.”

4. You are still struggling with the reply and forward functions in e-mail.

5.  You are convinced that the only people using social media are college kids and pot smokers.

6.  You feel that the newspaper is still a valuable form of advertising.

7. You designed your logo in powerpoint or publisher and all brochures were designed in the same programs.

8. When asked about time commitment you whine about an extra 30 mins a day to grow your business.

9.  Your website was designed pre-2005 and has not been updated.

10. You find that building “trust” in a marketplace is a waste of time.

If you fit any of the following criteria… do me a favor and stay off social media.

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