Social Media

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...

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...

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...

We spend a lot of time in a lot of places telling people what we know.  I did this, I read that.  I went there, I tried that.  I wrote this, designed that.  Are we in the "me" economy?  And if so, is it possible to wring more out of it, to come out stronger, be more aware?  To receive feedback as well as we broadcast out? Shout.  Let it all out. We have professional profiles and virtual Rolodexes set up on LinkedIn, Jigsaw, and Plaxo.  We have blogs to showcase our big thoughts and Posterous...

Social media is a (growing) set of technologically-enabled tools that open complex, far-reaching channels of communication.  And it addresses several intrinsic human needs (which, in turn, fuel its growth), including companionship, idea sharing, emotional release, exercising personal preference and control (action, not necessarily message), immediacy and self-expression. People use it.  Brands use it.  Branded people use it.  There's a seemingly endless number of things to try, to add, to integrate,...

Typically, I'm not one to let important things slide. And while I wish I could say that my reduction in blog posts was by design - a test of some sort - its not. That's not all that's lacking, either. I haven't dived thorough those great feeds in my reader in a good long while.  I'm still tweeting posts and articles about marketing, advertising, technology, and other material I think my followers might enjoy. But I'm not at the same level of 2-way communication (the word 'conversation' is starting...

Communication is a powerful word, and as a concept implies an exchange of ideas and intentions between active, engaged parties.  Adding another layer of complexity is the reality that as an advanced people, we can communicate in written, oral, and sometimes more importantly nonverbal methods in the forms of body language, facial expression and reactive measures like word of mouth passalong.  I'm sure there are other subtleties I'm forgetting (comment your own additions below). The facet of communication...

I learn most effectively when I can make associations between topics or concepts.  Sometimes the relationships or analogies I make have my husband raising an eyebrow, but hey, I say if finding (or making) connections between two subjects (alright, maybe even seemingly disparate subjects) helps me understand, then I'll stick with it, thankyouverymuch. The truth is, I call these connections "bunny trails" and get a perverse kind of pleasure out of taking twists and turns and finally hooking Tab A into...

The Sky Is Falling Some feeds I've been reading lately has me catching up about big brands and the way they're reaching (or trying to reach) their consumers.  I might as well say it--it's the "Esc" button on my keyboard--but of course the state of our economy factors into some of the discussion.  The question being considered is how will budgetary belt-tightening induce companies to achieve objectives with less. What Do We Do Now? And I'm wondering if, when faced with the challenge to reach...

We all know about audience segmentation, profiling, personas. There’s a myriad of methods to categorize targets utilizing metrics that can be captured, assessed, and generalized based on statistical data and probability. Ad nauseam. One advantage of a deep understanding of your audience, of empathizing with their experiences both joyful and sorrowful, anticipating their needs and their receptor points, being sympatico with your customers – is critical insights that state of “oneness”...