Engagement and community both seem to be the ultimate goals for those involved in the Social Media game. Yet building it seems shrouded in mystery; ask many successful community managers, and it is a combination of secret sauce, luck, and a strategy that has been built after-the-fact to explain their [More]
Often times, the greatest insights happen at the intersection of two areas, and this is certainly true of the intersection between marketing and business development. Typically, what lives here are leads. Marketers develop initiatives that build leads. Then sales "works" the leads, hopefully converting them into clients. This is true, [More]
Most leaders are not aware of the range of risks that lurk behind the shiny pull of many Social Media sites and activities. Many can be mitigated if identified in the planning stages, through training, policy, or through changes of internal process. Monitoring can catch others; early detection can lessen [More]
The world is changing: it's getting smaller. Ironically though, the smaller it gets, the more choice there seems to be. In the early 1800s, a trip from Toronto to New York would involve horses, or a stagecoach, 12+ days, and significant risk and expense. In the mid 1800s the trip [More]
Have you ever heard the expression "you're only as strong as your friends?" No where is this more true than with digital marketing. Too achieve a particular objective, organizations will often invest in a focused campaign. It has a beginning, middle, and end. Its results can be measured. And when [More]
Too often, organizations see an arithmetic connection between the resources allocated to a task, and the return on investment from it. Chasing the digital holy grail of engagement is no different. Here is the logic: Twice as many likes, comments, and shares will yield twice as much engagement. And to [More]
Must you be everyone's friend? Or perhaps from a practical perspective, must you accept everyone's LinkedIn connection request? The answer for most people, and for many reasons, is a resounding no. It is true that accepting a connection request yields numerous benefits, particularly around increased access and transparency: More of [More]
Back in the early days of journalism, there was a clear distinction between the "news" and paid advertisements. It was considered of the highest ethical imperative that journalists could not be "bought" or even influenced, by an advertiser looking to make a large ad purchase, or a threat to pull [More]
Are you unrealistically optimistic? Most marketers are, and it is not particularly healthy. Think about it: a marketer's job is usually focused on generating leads. About great design. Attracting attention. Building. It's other people who have to worry about delivering the product or service, headcount, logistics, and the vagaries of [More]
Have you ever put in a proposal, or answered an enquiry about your products or services, and then waited patiently for their answer about the next step? While images of pulling petals off a daisy might come to mind ("He loves me, he loves me not") the words that ultimate [More]
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