The onslaught of real-time social, local, mobile (SoLoMo) technology is nothing short of overwhelming. Besides the gadgets, apps, social networks and appliances that continue to emerge, the pace of innovation is only outdone by the volumes of data that each produce. Everything we share, everywhere we go, everything we say and everyone we follow or connect with, generates valuable information that can be used to improve consumer experiences and ultimately improve products and services. While the amount of personal and…
Social Media as the Next Web
Source: GapingVoid “The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge.” – Tim Berners-Lee, Web inventor, founder, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), source For years now, we’ve talked about the evolution of Web 2.0 and an era of a more open and social web. Certainly the web has become social. As to whether or not it’s more open, well that’s for a later discussion. With our time together now, I’d like to explore the…
Blame it on the youth: How Rocket21 is connecting Generation Z and the future of business
The Millennial or Generation Y has the world abuzz. This generation is not only changing how businesses sell and what they sell, they’re also changing how businesses work. Millennials are indeed the first truly digital generation but they’re aren’t the only group with digital DNA. Generation Y, those that follow X and Generation Z behind them are rising fast. They too see the world differently and already represent a significant economic force in the world. In the United States, Generation…
Your Brand is More Important Than You Think: BrandSTOKE’s 9 Criteria for Brand Essence
The importance of establishing your brand in the era of Digital Darwinism cannot be overstated. Digital Darwinism occurs when technology and society evolve faster than one’s ability to adapt. Every brand is vulnerable, but no business is too big to fail or too small to succeed. With customers today being increasingly connected, informed, and ultimately empowered, their expectations only escalate. In short, they are more discerning and demanding than ever before. The brand and the brand promise are of paramount…
This is the End of Business as Usual and the Beginning of a New Era of Relevance
Photo taken 11/19/12 using an iPhone5 at St Kilda Beach, Melbourne Australia The Times They Are A-Changin’ Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’. – Bob Dylan I’m sure you are wondering why I chose…
Facebook’s Page Post Targeting Sets the Stage for Contextual Marketing
Content Context is King! Social media ushers in an era of contextual relevance that finally trumps content as king. Don’t get me wrong, content is important. After all, without it, what would people read, watch, interpret, remix and share? But without context, content is simply a message or story trying to find a home. In social networks, people stitch together social networks based on their relationships, interests, and aspirations to personalize their online experience. Doing so creates a network where,…
TEDTalk: Reinventing Consumer Capitalism – Screw Business as Usual
I’ve always admired TED’s approach to presentations. More importantly, I appreciate how this approach inspires its presenters to in turn inspire audiences in the room and around the web. This evokes the concept of having an “audience with an audience of audiences” where those on stage break through the fourth wall to speak to and through audiences to extend engagement to social networks. TED stimulates the sharing of inspired experiences and it’s the nature of those experiences that foster greater…
Businesses not Making the Pivot from Lip Service to Social Customer Service [infographic]
Social media changes everything. Marketing, sales, customer service, they’re no longer departments, engagement is now a way of business. As the impact of social spreads through organizations, questions arise about the role social ultimately plays in customer service and overall customer experiences. For the past three years, good friend Brent Leary and the folks at Social Media Today have produced The Social Customer Engagement Index. It examines how companies are using social tools for customer service and, more importantly, how…
Calculate the ROI of Social Media
Guest Post by Jaap Favier, managing partner of The Small Circle What is the secret of bars? Why do we happily pay four times as much for beer in a bar as in a store? We pay this brand premium to be with friends. The secret of bars is that they convert our quality time into cash. Like bars, social media are places where friends meet. The best social media programs also convert the consumer’s social time into a brand…
Twitter Shifts from Tech Startup to Media Network [Infographic]
The state of the relationship between Twitters and its developer community is nothing short of tumultuous. While there are significant merits on either side of the debate, what’s clear is that the Twitter of yore is no longer on a similar course for what will be the Twitter to come. It’s a sign of maturation and focus. It’s Twitter’s shift from tech startup and media darling to an aspiring new media empire. Ruffling feathers and clipping wings is an unfortunate…
