5 Comments Posted in content, corporate blogging, Corporate Strategy June 6, 2009

The Most Valuable Commodity is Information

“The most valuable commodity in the world is information.” -Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko in Wallstreet.

Oliver Stone understood the value of content and information while writing the movie Wallstreet in 1987. In the movie the concept of information is a little skewed because of the nature of the film but the idea still reigns true.

Gordon Gecko used information to learn about competition and his employees and the same goes for business owners across the globe. The global competitive landscape is demanding more from marketing and communication departments.

While I do not condone using information unethically… I am speaking more on developing thought leadership and trust behind your brand. It is important to create content that is valuable to your consumer… your demographic target… your niche as a … Read more

5 Comments Posted in social media, Social Media Community, social media marketing, social networking June 4, 2009

Using Social Media As A Sales Tool

I have been debating (with myself) recently about the concept of using social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIN, Blogs, and Twitter as sales tools. A recurring picture keeps popping into my mind of a kettle warming on a stove waiting to boil over.. at just the right time.

Selling in social media can be directly related to the concept of the “slow boil.” You are producing content and creating relationships in the online environment that is slowly building your reputation as a thought leader. Your readers and your fans will be constantly involved in the conversation and trusting your advice when it comes to a specific topic or problem.

What happens when they reach a pain point? What happens when they realize they need your guidance and support?

I would … Read more

3 Comments Posted in Corporate Strategy, customer evangelist, Marketing, productivity, relationship, Reputation Management, social media, Social Media Community, social networking, Social Strategy, Viral Marketing June 3, 2009

Killing the Machine with Social Media

First off… a side note… If you are not reading Convince & Convert by Jason Baer you should be. He always gets me thinking and brainstorming on new methods and ideas to marketing through social media.

If you were to think back to the days of (what we will call) old-school marketing…the days where big money won and the more you broadcasted the higher the return…it can be debated that the marketing arm of many companies ran much like a machine. Yes, there was some creative thought process involved but the communication model was more machine-like than we would care to admit.

They (the machines) started churning out hundreds of thousands of ideas in order to plaster on our minds the benefits of their products and services. More often than … Read more

2 Comments Posted in Week With Whuffie June 3, 2009

Week With Whuffie: Embracing the Chaos

I have a problem. It is something that I have dealt with my entire life and no matter how many times I try to change… it never goes away. I am unorganized. I have papers everywhere and I try to keep my room clean but it never happens. Now, there is a method to my chaos and I would like to say it is being chaotically organized. I am creative! Give me a break! And I have a brilliant staff and partner at Brandswag to keep us running and me sane.

Tara Hunt, the author of the Whuffie Factor, talks about the importance of embracing the chaos when building out a social media plan and strategy:

“Embracing the chaose of community mean letting go of the need to

… Read more

3 Comments Posted in Public Relations, social media, social media marketing, Viral Marketing, Week With Whuffie June 2, 2009

Week With Whuffie and Negative Feedback

Continuing our dive into the world of Whuffie we are going to talk about the concept of negative feedback.

Many companies fail to adopt a social media strategy for their business because of a fear of negative feedback. I have been preaching continuously about ridding yourself and your company of that fear… because it is going to happen anyway. It is a vital part to marketing in the social media realm: reputation management.

In the book it talks about how to combat negative feedback in order to increase your social capital (or whuffie):

“The way you respond to negative feedback is as important for building whuffie as your response to positive feedback. In face, an open and nonconfrontational response to negative feeback can be even more beneficial for building whuffie

… Read more