Everyday, I explore the web for current articles and blog posts about social media strategies. These posts are usually divided into helping businesses sell to businesses, businesses sell to consumers (ranging from large corporations to small business solutions), or personal branding techniques to land a role helping with the B2B/B2C listed above.
It may seem a little overzealous on my part, but I’d argue that social media is changing almost every aspect of our society. I have previously discussed how technology is leading us towards a more open society, as well as the privacy issues associated with this evolution. There is no doubt that social media is changing the way we do business. I think Brian Solis says it best:
“Social Media is not only changing how we communicate, we are also changing the culture of business from the outside in and from the bottom up.”Let me elaborate. Social media is starting to impact nearly all functional areas of business, including: marketing/sales, human resources, customer services, research and development, finance & accounting, and administration/IT support. I will provide you with an example for each:
Blogging continually comes up as an optimal solution for communicating with your audience. With over 133,000,000 blogs indexed on Technorati since 2002 and more than 400,000,000 people who read blogs globally, it can feel like your blog is just a small node on an information super-highway.
I don’t know how many times I have read the following words, “Content is King”. This means that if you create quality content, eventually readers will gravitate there. My opinion on this subject can be left for another post, but I tend to believe that a successful blog needs a lot more to get it going. With that being said, you still need great content.
Whether it is Chris Brogan telling you how to Frame your Social Media Efforts or any other equally credible source, I am sure you have learned the importance of connecting with individuals when it comes to succeeding in social media. Building relationships is a theme that reoccurs daily and has us constantly in search for new like-minded individuals to whom we listen and with whom we create and collaborate.
I find myself getting asked on a daily basis, “How long do you think this social media stuff is going to last?”
Depending on my mood, I usually go into a rant how the way we communicate in general has shifted. I start listing examples like how people use iPads, Kindles or Web Readers instead of newspapers, or an estimate of how many people actually use sites like Facebook and Youtube.
I am not going to do that because Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics, recently created a perfect stat-filled sequel to his original Social Media Revolution video.
Take a look:
Social Media Revolution 2
Continue reading →
With so many fantastic qualities, it’s hard to define Kerry Patrick in just a few words. Exuberant? Definitely. Professional? Always. Customer driven, hard working, and downright fun – the woman has it all.
That’s why we feel so torn right now. On one hand, we’re happy for Kerry, on the other hand we are sad to see her go. Effective April 29, 2010, she assumes her new position as Account Executive for Mix 97, CJBQ & Rock 107. We’ll miss her laughter, warm disposition, and let’s face it – her culinary skills. Kerry can cook! If she wasn’t in marketing, she should definitely be a chef.
eMarketer.com
recently featured an interview with Ed Linde II about How IBM uncovered “Millions of Dollars” Worth of Sales Leads with Social Media. It was a great interview, and I think that considering a few of Linde’s comments in more depth will add even more value to the interview.
Based on my reading of Linde’s respondes, I’ve extrapolated a lot about how one should be spending time in social media for maximum profit results. It is important to note that taking this type of content strategy would definitely take more than one person on a social media team.
I have only just begun working as the online community manager for Engine Communications but I would like to take this opportunity to personally say hello to all of you.
Now, I know the stats that date back to about 2006. In most online communities, something around 90% (if not higher) enjoy just sitting back and reading the content. I am glad you enjoy the content. After this post, I will let you go back to reading! Furthermore, about 9% will contribute sporadically and maybe 1% will contribute most of the interactions.
What I am proposing is that you simply say hello and a link back to your company, website or twitter profile (anything really) in the comments section.
I can guarantee you will be happy you did. That is the power of hello.
Over the past weeks I have been helping you create your brand online from square one. I have provided tips and tricks for using social media to get noticed in a positive way. Last week I provided you with a Quote Flow that can not only be applied to using social media, but to life in general. I want to take some time now to elaborate on my last post. The main point I was trying to illustrate by carefully selecting and grouping these quotations was the idea of ‘Focus’. By now, many of my readers probably have some idea of the direction they plan to take for their careers, hobbies, volunteering, passions, etc. My advice to you is to do everything in your power to go forward and minimize the frequency of going backwards. All of you have decided to use social media as a channel of communication. For instance, you have used some form of SM to find this blog entry. Now, how do you use social media to help you towards true happiness? Use it to help you grow as a person. This means having goals and staying focused on these goals. I find myself coming across tons of articles on how to make money on Twitter, increase your follower count (or lists is the new follower count), donate to my Movember cause, and so forth. The big picture is that all these people have a goal of personal growth that they are achieving through social media. How about we simplify this idea with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a model.
Well, what better way to have a great meal this weekend, than to try Perogies – Tom style. Over the past few years, while I was a student there were a few simple, economical meals I learned to make and love; spaghetti, pizza, and asian noodles became the three base food groups that my diet consisted of. Being a vegetarian, I was forced to think a little outside the box, and had to cook for myself a little more frequently than your typical student. These perogies aren’t your usual meal, and if you’re a fan of spicy food (like buffalo wings) these will quickly become a favorite. disclaimer: this isn’t a guide on how to make perogies from scratch, although if you did that I’m sure this would turn out better – this is simply how to prepare perogies in a way that turns them into the single greatest hedonistic pleasure known to man.
