by Dave Kerpen, Inc., Excerpt It’s no secret that 2016 is going to be a roller coaster ride of a year. The Dow had its worst start to a new year on record. We’re in a presidential election year, and there’s no telling how it’ll play out. New companies and trends are emerging in different industries; the way we communicate is constantly evolving. Knowing this, it’s critical to stay ahead of the curve, and that means listening to and following…

By Erin Carson, TechRepublic, Excerpt Facebook is giving users new ways to react to posts. Here’s what social marketers should keep in mind, and how brands are already adapting. Word first came a few months back that Facebook would introduce reaction buttons in the form of emoji, to give users the chance to express a range of emotions apart from like. The new reaction buttons Facebook rolled out last week include “haha,” “wow,” angry,” “love,” and “sad.” To use one…

Meta is unveiling its latest AR device, which CEO Meron Gribetz says is taking the industry closer to realizing the long-held dream of layered a virtual world on top of the real one. – Martin E. Klimek, USA TODAY by Marco della Cava, USA TODAY, Excerpt “Look out at all those desks,” says Gribetz, CEO of augmented reality headset maker Meta. “Within a year or two, I want everyone here to be doing their work using our glasses. The change is…

by Kevin Berens, iMedia Summit On my return flight from Amelia Island, FL, I was reflecting on my time at the 2016 iMedia Brand Summit. It truly was an exceptional experience. Meeting so many new faces and hanging around with the ol’ friendlies was an absolute joy. For those who were fortunate to attend the 2016 Brand Summit this week in Amelia Island, you made it to the premier industry event, serving senior-level brand marketers across a dozen vertical markets. Your…

by Paul Skeldon, Internet Retailer (excerpt) Never doubt the power of mobile: if you fail to meet consumers ever-growing expectations they are going to bite you. So finds a global study of 4500 consumers in 11 countries that suggests that if a shopper doesn’t immediately like the consumer experience with your mobile service, as many as a third won’t purchase from you again. Ever. Alternatively, when a good mobile experience is achieved, 76% report that it has an influence on their…

by Megan Golden, LinkedIn (excerpt) Let’s face it, marketers: We are constantly searching for the tool that will, if not fix everything, at least give us that extra edge on the competition. If we just had the perfect marketing stack, the right amplification network, or transcendent lead nurturing software, all our troubles would be over. All of these tools are valuable, of course. We couldn’t survive without some of them, let alone thrive. But too often we put our tools to…

via Agata Smieciuszewski, iMedia Connection Today’s marketers spend a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to deliver their products to consumers. Today’s consumers, however, are too smart to fall for cheap tricks — they want real connections and experiences. Brian Solis, keynote speaker of the iMedia Brand Summit in Amelia Island, Florida and author of “X: The Experience When Business Meets Design,” explored how crafting these experiences will build relationships and get the results you’re looking…

By Erin Carson, TechRepublic  The social media landscape is in a constant state of flux. It was last year, and 2016 will be no different. What remains the same is that businesses will have to rise to the challenge of figuring out how to get the best results from a channel that’s getting an increasing amount of attention and resources. Click through to read Erin’s five trends to watch in the coming year relating to business and social media. Excerpt…

by Derek du Preez, diginomica (excerpt) If you don’t cannibalise your existing business, when your customer’s expectations change, you risk dying out. The key message coming out of the keynote session at NetSuite’s Cloud Tour stop in London is that cannibalisation is key. The point was argued well by Brian Solis, Principal Analyst at Altimeter Group, who referred to the example of Blockbuster and Netflix. There is no reason that Blockbuster couldn’t have started a streaming service, but it failed to recognise that…

TOPIC: Customer Experience for the Win Ask 10 different executives what CX means and how to improve it, you’ll get at least 15 different answers. Hear Brian make a compelling case that customer experience is the future of business. Learn why CX is bigger than any one department – and, importantly, what to do about it. Listen to the podcast here.