1 Comment Posted in Corporate Strategy, relationship, small business, social media, Social Media Community, social media marketing, social media mission, Social Strategy April 20, 2009

Next Time. Punch Fear in the Face.

What is it about fear that immobilizes an individual or an organization? The fear of failure… The fear of not understanding how to use a specific tool.. The fear of being left behind.

The problem with fear is that it paralyzes and damages the great things your company or organization can do in the future. At Brandswag we come across many individuals, companies and organizations that are simply afraid of jumping into the world of “the social web.”

It could be the fear of open conversation. It could be the fear of not knowing what to do. What is driving your company? What is the driving factor for not changing? What is keeping you from not adapting to the changing world of communication?

The simple fact…

You cannot let fear … Read more

2 Comments Posted in social media April 17, 2009

Telling THE Story of Your Business

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I am sitting in the AFP Fundraising 2.o conference and we have been listening to the likes of Mitch Maxson from MediaSauce, Hazel Walker from BNI, and Erik Deckers from ProBlog Service. Erik Deckers is currently talking about the value of social media and how to use some of the tools and I have realized a common theme from all the speakers at the conference. I will be getting up there in the next 30 mins and the same theme applies to my presentation.

Why is it so hard for us to tell the story of our company or NFP? Marketing is telling a story plain and simple. Human interaction has been built off the idea of story telling since the inception of forward thought. Why is … Read more

2 Comments Posted in social media April 16, 2009

Taking a Gamble is the Way to Work!

(hat tip to Seth Godin for this wonderful post)

Mr. Godin is right when he says:

The irony, of course, is that they’ll (Wall-E, Pixar) make plenty of money. Bravery often pays off, even if paying off is not your goal. Especially if that’s not your goal.

Marketing isn’t always about pandering to the masses and shooting for the quick payoff. Often, the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all.

Is Mr. Godin speaking on one of my favorite topics: marketing authenticity? I am not necessarily sure. If you read the full post here , you will find that he is referencing the fact that QUALITY directly relates to the overall success. More often than not, you will not need to hook up the crack wheel and act like … Read more

38 Comments Posted in social media, social media marketing, Social Strategy April 15, 2009

20 Ways to Engage Contacts in Social Media

What is it? What is it good for? Engagement.

One of the primary selling points of social media is the concept of engaging a potential customer or partner in your product or service. So how do you accomplish engagement on a personal level?

20 Ways to Engage a Potential Customer Using Social Media

1. Start a blog. This seems like an obvious one. This should be one of the first things you think about doing when contemplating using social media as a marketing tool. There should always be a hub where your contacts can interact. The so called “hub.” WordPress is a great tool to start blogging. Get on it!

2. Join Brightkite and Use it during the business day. Brightkite is a service that allows you to update your … Read more

6 Comments Posted in Corporate Strategy, Marketing, productivity, small business, social media, social media marketing, Social Strategy April 14, 2009

Social Media According to Zhang Yu

I am re-reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Let me be clear. When I say I am re-reading it actually means I am reading it for the first time, a second time. It is amazing the kind of insight you take away from a book when you read it through different parts of life. It has been a couple of years since I picked up the book and a section about adapting caught my eye.

Zhang Yu : Adaptation means not clinging to fixed methods, but changing appropriately according to events as is suitable.

We are in a phase of adaptation in the world of marketing communications. With the advancement of the Internet (mainly the growth of commercial social media) a new phase of communication is quickly becoming … Read more