The market for listening services is rapidly maturing with vendors such as Radian6, Spiral16, Crimson Hexagon, Research.ly, Lithium, Sysomos, and many others improving how businesses monitor consumer conversations and experiences. The wide array of options and capabilities are nothing less than baffling, requiring expert analysis prior to committing any significant investment of finances or organizational resources now and over time. For those seeking top line advice on the differences between many of the top listening vendors, please read this helpful…
Time, Tide and the Net Wait for No One by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead
In June 2011, I was alerted by good friends Dr. Kaye Sweetser and Navy Commander Charlie Brown that Charlene Li and I were referenced in a speech presented by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. I was honored to say the least. But, after reading the transcript of the speech, I’m also informed and inspired. I wanted to share the full transcript with you here. Excerpt: Whether you are a leader in or outside the Navy — or you…
What’s the R.O.I.? A Framework for Social Analytics
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein Say hello to my little friends, R.O. & I. Yes. Return on investment have become the bane of an entire new media industry. However, avoidance is not the answer. While the question of “what’s the R.O.I. of social media” is difficult to answer, it is necessary as it forces us to dig deeper. The result is maturity. This conversation is important as…
The End of Social Media 1.0
The debut of a series introducing The End of Business as Usual… Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! Circle us on Google+! I would like to talk about an inflection point in social media that requires pause. I am not suggesting that there will be a social media 2.0 or 3.0 for that matter. Nor do I see the term social media departing our vocabulary any time soon. After all, it was recently added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. …
Announcing: The End of Business as Usual
Earlier this year, I announced that I was writing another book. I left clues here and there, but I had yet to officially announce the title or the focus of the book. The truth is that I didn’t want to give readers of Engage 2 the impression that I was ready to move on. So finally, it is with great pleasure that I share with you the name and also the semi-final draft of the book’s cover. Officially introducing, “The…
The Pivot Story Arc
During the planning of the upcoming Pivot Conference, I’ve been asked many questions about what it is, what it isn’t, and why the need for another conference. Most importantly, I’ve been asked more often than not, “What is our story?” I think that’s a great question. So, I took a moment to write the story for the Pivot Conference and while I was sharing it with the team, I thought that I would also share it with you here. Why?…
Looking Beyond Paid, Earned, Owned Media: The Brandsphere Infographic
In discussions about new media, you will often hear the division of media opportunities as Paid, Owned, and Earned media (P.O.E.M.). Over the years, I’ve studied the various categorization of media from a few perspectives, 1) that of traditional content creation, owners, budgets, and metrics, 2) how social networks cater to consumption and sharing, 3) how progressive businesses are approaching content strategies in social media and how they’re rethinking departments, intentions, metrics, and budgets, and 4) also how media opportunities…
Reading Between the Lines: An interview about Engage and what’s next
I recently spent some time talking to Sarah Morales of Vertical Measures to discuss the new Engage and we wound up having a fun and in-depth conversation that I felts was also worth sharing with you here. Sarah: This is the updated version of the book that championed, “Engage or Die!” What are the main events in social media that have occurred since the last version? Me: The difference between Engage 1 and Engage 2 is less about events or…
Smart Business, Social Business
I got to know Michael Brito several years ago when he worked on the social media team at Intel. Since then, we’ve worked together in a variety of projects becoming good friends along the way. I was proud when Michael landed his book deal for Smart Business, Social Business and I was honored when Michael asked me to write the Foreword. Smart Business, Social Business is now available and the publisher has agreed to let me share the foreword here….
14 Best Practices for Brands to Grow their Audiences in Social Media
As a consumer, you are blasted with the same request over and over, “Follow Us on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook” As a consumer however it is more than natural to ask why should I or what’s in it for me? These are questions of which a significant number of businesses cannot genuinely answer. Businesses are realizing the importance of establishing a presence on Twitter and other vibrant social networks. In many ways, hosting a branded account is now common…
