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You've waited patiently for it.  Well, wait no longer!  We have a new interview for the video blog series which features one-on-one discussions with superstars in the fields of marketing communications, interactive, brand development, and design.  Yes, there's a rich pool of these folks in the Cedar Rapids / Iowa City area, and we know a lot of them!  Let's get started. Tom Altman is a a web developer with deep roots in traditional media, including AM radio and newspaper.  His perspective...

When you think about customer experience, brand position, and what it means to be a customer-centric organization, think about Lands End.  The company has built a legacy of  doing right by the customer, backed up with their 100% no-questions-asked guarantee.  While their roots are firmly planted in the values of yesterday, their branches are keeping pace to match customer's busy lifestyles. I'm a long-time Lands End customer. I think I made my first purchase 15 years ago when my family relocated...

So your business has a toll-free number and a Facebook page.  There's also a web site with a contact form.  Lots of ways to get in touch with someone who can help.  You're taking care of your customers, right?  Not so fast.  Visibility might help the right audiences get in touch with you; visibility does not deliver a rewarding and memorable customer experience. Visibility is not an operating philosophy. Does being visible or "reachable" constitute a customer-centric environment?  Don Peppers...

Over at Social Media Explorer, Ike Pigott recently dug into the business value of social media.  He discussed the common struggle of gaining upper management "buy in" of social media in context with a traditional analog marketing tactic like a corporate membership with the Chamber of Commerce or Rotary club.  Social media adoption can be slow to categories like banking, insurance, and utilities where the image of the trade calls forward visions of starched collars and below-the-knee skirts. The...

There's intention and there's behavior.  And that has made all the difference. Some people like to talk, to lament and bemoan.  They have all the answers, if only everybody else were half as smart. Others are OK with talking but really itch to just go out and do.  Give things a whirl and see what happens. People often talk about doing one thing, but by circumstance or choice in fact do another.  It's been said that "talk is cheap," a phrase that implies the real payoff (proof) is in the action....

No two competitive teams are alike in their strengths, weaknesses, training styles, values or character.  Similarly, any given business, large or small, will approach the act of integrating social media philosophy, methods and tools differently from another. I just finished watching my 8-year old son play his first games of the travel season. We visited a neighboring city and played two intense games of mite level hockey. As a mom I love watching my son (who is also a good student) play competitive...

We all want to achieve high performance, whether on the stage, on the court, or in the office.  And yet we can find ourselves tripped up by the words of others or the memory of a failure.  "If only I knew more," you think, "or had more experience." "Why don't the right words come out when I talk with her?" "I'll never get the promotion.  There are too many good candidates." "I thought I could do this, but now I'm not so sure.  What if my timing is all wrong?" From time to time, we're...

I've never written a post reviewing tools before, but darn if I don't love discovering those handy lists, often through my peep's tweets. So I thought I could pay it forward and help out someone else by writing a high level overview of some tools I like.  Think I'll start with video. You Can Create "Good" Quality Video I've worked a lot in the video arena this year and while still a novice, I'll say that technically good media combined with well-thought content will get you halfway home for most...

Brand development is an important part of building a business, and often relegated to a few perfunctory tactics.  Have you stopped to consider the overall image your brand projects, and effect that image has on the aggregate long term? If you're with a start-up, chances are you've had your head down in financial projections and your back end seated in chairs at the bank and the accountant's.  Your ideas are gelling and long-laid plans are emerging into a reality.  Along the way, you may have...

Friday, October 15 is Blog Action Day.  It's a time when collectively, bloggers unite around a single cause to shed light on an important issue.  Maybe you know something about this years' issue, or maybe it's been part of that white noise in your subconsciousness. Maybe, just maybe, it's one you have a lot of heart and energy for.  Whatever your stage of awareness, the collective actions of many should help overcome inertia and give us all something to think about. Maybe that thinking will...