Will an economic recovery pummel social media?
I’ve had the great privilege of teaching a college-sponsored class on social media marketing and as usual, I’m learning more from the class than what they’ve learned from me … but that will be our little secret, OK? As I was providing examples of how you can leverage content across various channels to increase awareness, […]
Most companies can’t connect social media efforts to success
For the last two months I have been eagerly anticipating the results of Dr. Ben Hanna’s Business.com 2009 survey of corporate social media utilization. Why is this report significant? With nearly 3,000 valid respondents, this is probably the largest survey ever conducted on this subject and also represents one of a handful of social media research […]
An interview with GE’s Social Media Wizards
The GE Social Media Team: Gary Sheffer, Jen Walsh, Sean Gannon, Lisa Lanspery, Mike Eisenreich, Megan Parker and Vivek Kemp A few weeks ago I was introduced to GE’s social media initiative when doing research for an article on Social Media’s B2B Superstars. I’ve continued to be impressed with their aggressive and progressive approach to […]
How do I get my boss to understand social media?
In my position as a teacher and a consultant, this is one of the most common questions I hear. So let’s get it out on the table and take on this big topic of SPONSORSHIP. NEWS FLASH: If you are not being supported by your boss and you hope to pressure him/her into supporting your […]
Finally! A B2B social media success story
At long last, I bring to you my valued {grow} folks, a true B2B social media success story that can really be measured by MONEY. I believe this is the only one in the world. ; ) And it is GENIUS! Best of all, the success comes from one of our very own {grow}-er’s, Nathan […]
The case for social media marketing and "Extreme B2B"
At one point in my career, I had one of the largest (if not THE largest!) sales positions in the world. I had just one customer and they bought more than US$1.5 billion of goods and services from my company every year. That’s what I call Extreme B2B. Long sales cycle. High stakes. Extraordinary power […]
The world’s most broken marketing process
Here’s my vote for the most clueless group of marketers in the world: real estate agents.I’ve had the misfortune of buying and selling a number of homes in the past five years and have also done some consulting/research for local real estate professionals, so I’ve received a big dose of some of the dumbest marketing […]
Social Media’s Economy of Giving
In the first article in this four-part series, I defined the three elements that contribute to business benefits through social media: Connections + Meaningful Content + Authentic Helpfulness = Business Benefits. In this final article, we’ll examine the difficult issue of Authentic Helpfulness. “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who […]
Building meaningful business connections through social media
This is the second in a series exploring the keys to achieving business benefits in social media: Connections + Meaningful Content + Authentic Helpfulness = Business Benefits. Now, we’re going to dive into each element to build a strategy for YOUR social media success! Today we start with CONNECTIONS. Think of the social media landscape […]
Yes, it IS about the money
I know social media is about “relationships.” I get it … I really do. But if you are responsible for a social media initiative for your company, somebody is eventually going to ask you, “Where’s my money, honey?” In a business setting, social media relationships must eventually lead to making or saving money. Of course […]