How many times have you seen a new product, service or business and thought "that is exactly like the idea I had last year!" Or how about reading your own notes on a weekend doodle pad from a year ago documenting all the awesome things you were going to do in life or business only to find they are not done?
Do you feel as though your social media program has taken on a life of it's own? Do you feel the chances of you getting a grip on social media in your lifetime are well... slim to none? Has the social media beast got a hold of your budget, resources, and ROI? Are you at a loss for how to get it back? Slow down. Take a deep breath. You are not superwoman, superman, the rainmaker or the master social media ninja. You can and will get a grip on your social media in this century. Trust me, it has happened to people just like you.
Yowza, what an amazing experience at the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Orlando last week. IBM seriously rocked our business, social and personal world. They brought home the most important aspect of social media which is the people.
Wow, what an action packed week this is going to be! We are headed off to the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Orlando. The event is bringing together like minds from all over the globe who want to optimize their business, stay ahead of competition and maximize investment in digital, marketing and more. With over 200 business and practioner breakout sessions focusing on innovations and trends in mobile, social, ecommerce, customer experience, analytics, management and more there is something for everyone. It is one super size gathering of experts and peers to discover new ways to solve today's most complex digital challenges.
You are not alone if you feel that your social media program has gotten a bit out of control. Do you wish you had a social media policy? Have no idea what is being published when by your social media team? Have nightmares about a PR crisis or waking up to see a picture of you passed out at your desk on the cover of your Facebook timeline as a joke by your social media team?
Join us on #GetRealChat today with special guest Elana Anderson ...
Following in the footsteps of others is something many people and businesses do without thinking. We know we need best practices. We know there are many things in business and life that have already been done. Where do you draw the line? How do you know when to follow the leader versus be your own frog?
There are times in life when you have those moments of realization. Those moments of how much you have to be thankful for. You look around your world, your business, family and life and realize how blessed you really are. It's often the little things that make it so. It's the flowers on the Magnolia tree outside, the bike rides to school with the kids and the friends we have online. Sometimes it's the little 140 tweets or the private Facebook messages that make you tear up in a few seconds. It's new friends, old friends and real friends. It's friends across the globe, friends in your back yard.
Content marketing... I find that most business leaders either love it or they hate it. I think few business leaders actually understand what content marketing it is yet alone understand the power and benefits it can provide for their business.
We work with several Chamber of Commerce and Association leadership teams. We help them with everything from social media training to social business strategic planning, goal setting, integration and execution (do for you social media marketing services). Associations and Chamber of Commerce organizations hold a soft spot in my heart because they were of course one of the first business networking groups. They have deep roots and have the potential to offer much value to businesses new and old.
The Social Media Truth series is based on a keynote presentation I did at the Rochester Institute of Technology last year. I have been writing on the core concepts since then and it has served as a foundation for much discussion. I used the content as a test project to practice what I preach, build and execute an integrated plan around one solid piece of content. The marketing nut community and loyal followers will probably see many familiar quotes and concepts. I hope they have inspired you, educated you and provided you value over the months we have discussed and debated them! I look forward to many more great conversations and debates in the coming months!
There is more to life than work. The hours you spend on anything are consuming your brain, your emotions, and of course time in your day. The goal is that you are spending your time on things that offer you value in a form that brings you more joy, money, peace or happiness. The goal is yours and not for me to decide.
The purpose of this post is to talk about the OPC. Ever heard of an "OPC?" OPC = Other People's Communities. A community does not just happen overnight. You can't just decide "hey, I am going to launch my product on October 1st and by October 31st I will have a line waiting to click like on my Facebook page, loads of fans visiting my Facebook page daily, an opt-in email list over flowing with qualified leads and a lines of new clients ready to get out their credit card to buy from me or download my new app." As much as we wish it worked this way, the truth is it just simply doesn't.
Efforts of robots are for movies, not political campaigns or the future of our country! Social campaign managers for the political candidates need to acknowledge their purchasing of fake Twitter followers and Facebook likes is doing nothing for the American people!
Do you spend your day begging for retweets? Are you "that guy" or "that girl" that everyone avoids on Twitter and Facebook? If yes, take a look at your content, goals and objectives as the answers are within the walls of your company!
You are not alone if you feel that your social media program has gotten a bit unruly. You may or may not have adaquate team coverage to stay on top of everything. Or it could be you simply didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you started what you thought was going to be a simple "Facebook page" last year.
It's not like we didn't tell ya' folks. How many blog posts have you read which have tried to explain in the form of tips, how to guides, ebooks, webinars, podcasts, radio shows, in depth blog posts and more that social media is about more than a Facebook page or Twitter following. As Facebook and other networks are rolling out more intelligent algorithms, advertising and revenue platforms the game is changin'.
It's been awhile since I wrote one of these posts. I think we have all pretty much confirmed we have addiction problems to social media and that crazy little blue bird. Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse now we have pins and plusses to worry about. So, just in case you thought you were out of luck in getting a free pass to social media addict bootcamp, no worries. If you answer yes to at least 50% of the below signs then you are still officially addicted.
It's not news that the noise on the social platforms is getting louder. It's becoming harder to stand out from the crowd. Many Facebook pages are finding themselves at a social table for one with little conversation going on despite all those "likes" they begged for in the early days.
Social business is not easy. You don't just wake up and decide... "I am going to be a social business starting today. I am going to do social, be social and kick some social butt. My clients will know I am social. My neighbors will know I am social. My world will know I am social... because I am social."
