Occasionally I see comments on the social media networks that read something like this. "Full disclosure – Bob is not just a good friend, but an investor in my company." What are we supposed to make of that? Affiliations and partnerships are a productive means for maximizing results with social media marketing, and are a […]
Digging Into Customer Behavior to Build Market Relevance
Going back more years than I care to admit to, when I was studying for my MBA, I began a fascination with how and why people buy. In college I learned the foundation of market behavior, but I later learned to always trust my gut, which is backed by invaluable observations and analysis from real, […]
Social Media is a Waste of Time? – Patience My Friends
Do you believe social media is a waste of time for growing your business? I often hear this when speaking to audiences. Today virtually everyone is aware of social media, and they are using it to get results, but only a few can honestly say it is working for them. Why do they feel […]
Remember Full Service? DING, DING!
Last weekend I took a road trip with my son Zak to visit some prospective colleges. Our first stop was The Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio, where I grew up. The rest of the family was puzzled by the the name, which is “THE” Ohio State University, as opposed to just being […]
A Presidential Lesson In Value Marketing
In accepting the apology yesterday of the congressman that called him a liar, President Obama added that most Americans want to see a more civil political discourse. Obama said, “The media can always be helpful by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices — and try to stay a little bit […]
WordPress Attack Underway: Users Must Upgrade
This post is in response to an alert first published at Mashable. You can read the original story by clicking on the WordPress logo, or follow me to learn why and how I came to rely on Typepad and their customer service. Typepad recently introduced a blogging widget to make sharing information from the Web […]
Social Media Greatest Hits – Live!
Live albums were unique to the seventies when rock artistry was arguably at its peak. These recorded, live performances were the opportunity for musicians to go deeper and push the limits that indulged the audience with the finest qualities of their craft. I'm no Peter Frampton, and certainly not Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix. Though, […]
How to Separate Social Media Pros from Novices
If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that social media visibility is merely a stepping stone to your business goals. As experienced businesspeople, the pros understand this – the novices don't. Novices tend to scratch the surface, and that behavior is even more apparent on this social media platform. If you […]
Time is The New Marketing Collateral: How are You Spending It?
Traditional marketing materials – what we sometimes called marketing collateral, were expensive. I'm talking about brochures, folders with colorful inserts, and postcards. And indeed the cost of those 4 color brochures and die-cut folders was some serious coin. We called these pieces marketing collateral because that's what they were – evidence that you had made […]
Why You Need A Social Media Ritual
Rituals have been used for centuries to for a variety of purposes. They have been used to celebrate new beginnings, such as a marriage, to mark an auspicious occasion and bring good luck, such as a ribbon cutting that commemorates the grand opening of a new business, and also to remember a passing, such as […]
