Kernels of truth on social media marketing
If I leave a conference with a few “kernels of truth” I can gnaw on and think about, I consider the time well-spent. Here are a few nuggets I picked up at the Social Fresh conference held in Nashville this week. “Movements make their audience feel like rockstars.” To me, the highlight of the conference […]
Ten ideas for the beginning blogger
If you look around the web, there is so much advice about blogging it’s not funny. Still, I’ve learned a few lessons that might help if you’re a beginner blogger and I thought I would give you the inside scoop. 1) The biggest obstacle to blogging is … not what you think. It’s not writing skill or […]
Get out your dancing shoes, it’s time to blog
Pop quiz: Over the next three years, what is the number one skill that will be needed by marketing professionals? Answer: An ability to entertain. I realize that is not normally something you would put on a resume. Let me explain. I often wonder, “Who really has the time to read all these blogs?” Don’t you […]
Does Amanda Chapel matter?
The mysterious, mean-spirited, self-proclaimed “strumpette” Amanda Chapel is the most divisive personality in the social media movement. She relentlessly shoots poison darts at nearly every voice of authority on the social web. It’s typical for her to characterize many of her A-List blogger targets as: “Baby babble” “Full-on non-stop shameless surreptitious sleaze” “The cacophony of dopes” “Sacs de douche” […]
The social web is starting to feel like high school
A while back I wrote an article about the fortress-like tendencies of the A-List bloggers and the sycophants who follow them. I compared it to an exclusive country club. But as I’ve reached a wider audience and gained more experience on the social web, I’m learning that some of the online behaviors deserve even less credit than that. A […]
Learning from Cosmo: My fresher, sexier blog
One thing about blogging — Headlines matter! And this is what I’ve learned from standing at the grocery checkout line: Nobody does headlines better than Cosmopolitan magazine. So I’ve decided to tear a page from the Cosmo playbook and make my blog fresher and sexier. Here are the upcoming {grow} posts you can look forward to in 2010: […]
Ten blog posts that mattered
Ten blog posts that mattered in 2009
A Lite Brite Christmas
At this time of year I’m not thinking too much about marketing and business so I just thought I would tell you a Christmas Story. This is the tale of the only Christmas present that ever made me cry. When I was a little boy, all I ever wanted for Christmas was a Lite Brite set. Lite […]
Eight lessons I’ve learned from Twitter
I’m writing this blog as a way of accepting a challenge from my friend Venessa Miemis. Always glad to be pushed in new ways! I’ve been a devoted Twitter-er for nearly a year. In that period I’ve moved from reluctant skeptic to poster-child advocate. Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned. 1) Respect […]
How social media can hurt business relationships
The social web may be the most revolutionary marketing tool since the advent of radio. I don’t have to tell you why at this point. But for all the opportunities, there can also be danger, if the technology is mis-applied or misunderstood. Here are some ways social media can destroy customer relationships: 1) Hit and […]