Why You Should Design Your Business Around Social

“The social version of anything is more engaging and will outperform non-social.” That’s a direct quote from an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the 2010 Web 2.0 Summit. He noted that we are all hard-wired to connect and engage with other people. This followed his comment that “Over the next 5 years most […]

Read the full article

Workflowy is Your Mobile Productivity Tool

There are many cloud-based tools for managing your productivity – but Workflowy is one that is nicely optimized for your mobile device. My experience with productivity tools is they are short on features or too complicated. Simple tools allow me to make a list. Complicated tools capture tons of information that I am challenged with […]

Read the full article

Your Content Marketing Store

Are you still having some challenges wrapping your arms around the concept of content marketing to increase your small business revenues? When I was conducting my Social Media Summit here in Chicago a few weeks ago I sensed that the concept was not resonating with some of the retailers in the group. It just so happens […]

Read the full article

How Little Choices Increase the Value of Your Customer Experience

When you offer your customers the right choices, you create memorable experiences that increase the value of your business brand. Offering the wrong choices can drive customers away. So, the challenge is determining which are the right choices. It turns out the the best choices you can offer your customers are those that allow them […]

Read the full article

Facebook Marketing for Dummies: An Interview with Amy Porterfield

Very few businesses dispute the value of Facebook marketing. Why then are so many still not taking advantage of this invaluable lead generation and business relationship building tool? According to Amy Porterfield, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies – it can be complicated. It was refreshing to learn that like many of us, Amy finds […]

Read the full article

4 Tips for Using LinkedIn Classmates

Classmates is a new LinkedIn tool that could prove to be invaluable for both job seekers and businesses looking to break into new corporate accounts. You can use it to enhance your relationship with current connections that share an association with the colleges or universities you attended, connect with companies that are especially friendly with […]

Read the full article

You Are The Business

If you are the owner of a small business you know that you ARE the business. I’m not talking about wearing many hats, but the fact that your mere presence instills confidence in your customers. This is not only true for small businesses, but also for larger organizations such as Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, or Zappos – […]

Read the full article

Is There Friction in Your Marketing?

Friction is becoming one of the new buzz words in the tech marketing space. It’s one that happens to resonate with me, and for good reason. Friction gives you a tangible mental picture with which to manage the customer experience associated with your marketing – allowing you to enhance it for everyone concerned. Frictionless Content […]

Read the full article

3 Invaluable LinkedIn Tips

Business networking before social networking was tough work. You typically ended up with a stack of business cards in hand, with the challenge of determining your next best actions – who to follow up with and how. Soon after getting back to your office the phone rings and you are off the hook.  You settle […]

Read the full article

Finding Your Way with Social Media

There is no template for using social media well.  You have to find your own way. There are indeed best practices you can follow.  However, adapting those to your business is something that is unique to it – including your company culture and the people you serve. As children, many of us were fascinated by […]

Read the full article