The convention for creating financial opportunities is evolving and changing the way we seed prospects, promote our expertise and prowess, and connect with those who can help us learn and advance through the facilitation of strategic and mutually beneficial alliances. Digital capitalization is laying a foundation for expanding the need to cultivate and participate, not only in the real world, but also in the online networks and communities that can benefit us personally and professionally. In an era of democratized…
It’s Time to Engage: Please Help Share the News
I can’t believe the day is finally here. In fact, it’s here earlier than planned. Please join me in celebrating the official release of Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web Social media has democratized influence, forever changing the way businesses communicate with customers and the way customers affect the decisions of their peers. With platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, anyone can now find and connect with others…
Championing Change from Within
Social Media is as revolutionary as it is evolutionary. It represents an important chapter in the ongoing saga and transformation of new media. Over the years, we’ve witnessed that the 10 stages of social media integration in business are almost always set in motion by an internal champion who is determined and impassioned to engender change from the inside out. These champions emerge from different disciplines and departments and are typically role agnostic. Depending on the organization, champions exist in…
The 10 Stages of Social Media Integration in Business
What follows is the unabridged version of my post on Mashable, “The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration.“ An overnight success ten plus years in the making, Social Media is as transformative as it is evolutionary. With every day that passes, we are presented with increasing reports that showcase the impact of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs within small and large businesses alike. As a result, we can now visualize the state of adoption, understanding, and implementation in different…
A New Age for Social Media Marketing
In 2010, Social Media will rapidly escalate from novelty or perceived necessity to an integrated and strategic business communications, service, and information community and ecosystem. Our experiences and education will foster growth and propel us through each stage of the Social Media Marketing evolution. As MarketingSherpa observes, “2010 is the year where social media marketers gain the experience required to advance from novice to competent practitioner capable of achieving social marketing objectives and proving ROI.” It’s a powerful prediction and…
The Business of Social Media: B2B and B2C Engagement by the Numbers
I spend a great deal of time working within the B2B sector, among other things, and social media is a growing and or pervasive program within a comprehensive, integrated communications and service strategy. In almost every scenario I’ve encountered, executives, marcom and service executives, and brand managers have generally assumed that social and interactive activities and programming were ideally best suited for consumer applications. However, as we recently explored, in Social Media, it’s not just business, it’s business-to-business. Indeed, Social…
The Evolution of Social Media and Business
Social Media is fundamentally transformative and is rapidly evolving the architecture of business, communications, and the dissemination of information and influence. Today, there are businesses that engage in social media and those that do not. Those at least experimenting with the formidable, yet shifting landscape of intelligence and communication are learning how to adapt and connect in a new world of conversation, networking, and influence. Those that have yet to evaluate the opportunities and advantages for socialized marketing, service, sales,…
Ideas Connect Us More than Relationships
Earlier in the year, I was invited to share my thoughts and observations on the state of and vision for socialized media and the networks that connect us. Shot in a mobile studio outside of the Austin Convention Center during SXSW09, I joined Gary Bolles to discuss the theory that ideas are the “ties that bind” us in social networking – over relationships. In the era of Web 1.0 and instant messaging, we assumed, in many cases, alter-egos rather than…
The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part V
Source: Shutterstock 2009 represented a quantum leap in publishing for me. It was the first time in the years that I’ve been writing and blogging that I challenged myself to publish at a greater frequency, depth, and volume. Here are some of my favorites… The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part V 1. Identifying and Connecting with Influencers 2. Full Disclosure: Sponsored Conversations on Twitter Raise Concerns, Prompt Standards 3. I’m Not Talking to You 4. Everything You Never Knew About…
The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part IV
Source: Shutterstock Valuable Information flies across our attention dashboards at blinding speeds. As 2009 comes to a close and we embrace a new optimism for 2010, let’s revisit some of the most read and shared posts this year. Greatest Hits of 2009, Part IV: 1. Social Media is Rife with Experts but Starved of Authorities 2. Unveiling the New Influencers 3. PR Does Not Stand for Press Release: Equalizing Spikes and Valleys 4. The Decline of Traditional Advertising and the…
