Participating in social media activities is like participating in any other social activity. It can be as valuable as a lunch with the boss or as vapid as a breeze shooting session at the water cooler. Or vice versa. What follows are some highlights and lowlights from a typical day of “connecting” in my life. I find the most value…read more →
So, when I talk to people about Facebook, Twitter and the like, I often come back to the idea that business is social and the Internet is just another communication device. It’s no different than the pony express, the written letter, the telegraph, the steam boat or the telephone.
Several sites aim to make this process easier… namely, Posterous, Soup.io, FriendFeed and ShareIn. I’ve tried all of them, and I’d say they’re “almost ready for primetime.” Each has value, and each has significant drawbacks.
UPDATE: The better way to accomplish this these days is with ping.fm or hellotxt. One of my associates in the writing and marketing world just asked me how I link up all my social media accounts so I don’t have to trot around to each site/tool to keep everyone informed. At first, I started to scratch my head… How did…read more →
Last December, social media icon and wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk experimented with several advertising channels to boost www.winelibrary.com‘s wine sales. The offer included free shipping and was promoted via three different “media outlets”: 1) Direct mail (snail mail) 2) Billboard (traditional outdoor) 3) Twitter messages about the promotion Which one was the most successful? Any guesses? Drum roll…. The direct…read more →
Yes, times are tight. However, as marketing managers, creative directors and sales people, you still have to sell. I’ve detailed this in other posts and showed you how the smart companies actually gain market share during recessions or depressions. So I won’t belabor that point any further. Here are the important issues: How do you connect with customers when they’re…read more →
Ask people to join you in a meeting about social media, and you’ll find a lot of takers. But you’ll soon find out that most people don’t know what the heck they’re talking about or what the heck they want to accomplish with social media.
“Phil – part of your talent lies in your ability to work with a host of personalities and corporate cultures..not an easy thing to do. Global Crossing looks forward to continuing our relationship with you. The only way you could get a “10″ on Response Time would be to become a full-time Global Crossing employee – which doesn’t’ appear to be in the cards. I put a 9 down only to manage my own expectations that I may need to wait a few days for you to be available…. 
”
Michelle Soltesz
Senior Marketing Communications Manager
Global Crossing
