6 Comments Posted in innovation, social media, Social Media Community, social media marketing, social media mission, twitter, Viral Marketing June 15, 2009

What You Can Learn From Tony Robbins About Twitter

I was browsing Twitter this morning (I know. It sounds stimulating doesn’t it?) and happened across Tony Robbins Twitter profile. If you have no idea of who Tony Robbins is… go check out his website. He is an extremely influential speaker and thought leader in the world of personal development. I was surprised to find that Tony Robbins very rarely used Twitter for communication.. only the broadcasting of messages.

Some may say that Mr. Robbins is accomplishing communication by using social media tools to spread a message… unfortunately he is not. Communication is a two way street and unfortunately, one-way messages rarely harness the power of social media.

What if Tony were to take 30 minutes a week to respond to his fans and supporters? What if Tony … Read more

5 Comments Posted in blogging, corporate blogging, Corporate Strategy, customer service, innovation, Marketing, Micro-Blogging, Public Relations, relationship, Reputation Management, small business, social media June 9, 2009

Expose Yourself. I Dare You.

“The lesson is, we all need to expose ourselves to the winds of change. We need to expose ourselves to our customers, both the ones who are staying with us as well as those that we may lose by sticking to the past.” -Andrew Grove, co-founder of Intel

I have a question for you… What is one of the largest public relations and customer communication problems facing companies?

I can help you out… it is ignorance and the decision to simply not listen. This concept can stem from every corner of a corporation or a small business. The CEO chooses not to listen because they simple do not know or a small business owner decides to ignore the ever changing world of customer communication.

We are experiencing a shift … Read more

10 Comments Posted in Gen y, Guest Post, Public Relations June 9, 2009

Truth and Two-Way Communication: Using Social Media for PR

By Sarah Ann Noel

As a PR professional, I’ve been called a lot of things.
Truth-stretcher.
Spin doctor.
Media suck-up.
And of course, I shudder at most of these misconceptions, public relations being my livelihood. It demonstrates a valid point, however; public relations leaves a lot to be defined professionally speaking.

While I appreciate the creativity floating around what it is I do, from my standpoint, there is a good definition of public relations: Communicating controlled messages. PR professionals are not just communicators; it’s a different skill set because you must incorporate a strong focus and a missional sixth sense, to varying audiences.

This is why I love social media for PR, in the midst of questions whether it is a PR or a marketing function. Messages are direct—short and … Read more

4 Comments Posted in branding, business, innovation, Marketing, productivity, Public Relations, social networking, Social Strategy June 8, 2009

Get Off Your Butt and Break the Rules

When did rules ever apply to the art of running a business?

Let me preface this post by saying that I do not mean moral, ethical, or legal rules. There are rules that each person has set aside for themselves whether spiritual or from the laws of the land. I am talking about business rules.

They are the rules predestined and applied by business owners, scholars, and business minds throughout the centuries. Rules on innovation and marketing that if applied correctly will help you run a business but…

Times are trying and individuals/companies are scraping to stay ahead of the competition and make a little bit of cash on the side. I am reading the book First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman and it had … Read more

4 Comments Posted in customer evangelist, indianapolis, My Life, social media June 8, 2009

Twitter Can and Will Drive Business

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in a first hand account of how Twitter can drive a customer to a place of business. This, my friends, is the story:

I have been wanting (for awhile now) to get my second tattoo. It has been a self-debate on how much I should spend, where I should go to be “tatted,” and what tattoo I should ink into my skin. I finally came to the point where I was ready to take the dive and step out into the world of tattooing but I had one more question to answer:

Where should I go for a tattoo?

I decided to ask the Twitter world where I should get my tattoo because I believe in the concept of word-of-mouth marketing over any … Read more