Defending LinkedIn Groups from Irrelevance
I recently lamented the decreasing quality of my LinkedIn experience, which has since been accelerated by the explosion of questionable “experts” offering webinars via LinkedIn groups. But although my own experience is more spam than signal, I also realize that there are ways to use…
5 More Reasons Companies Fail at Social Media
Last week, Amy Mengel brilliantly summarized 5 Reasons Corporations Fail at Social Media. Those lessons (which she gleaned at the 2009 Inbound Marketing Summit) are entirely valid concerns for any company that’s navigating its way through the mostly uncharted waters of social media. But, in…
Your Social Media Strategy Says a Lot About Your Company’s Character
Heidi Sullivan’s* recent blog post about “the Amp app” makes a valid point: “Don’t alienate your customers.” She also gives credit to our client, Bigelow Tea, whom she cites as a positive example of a brand adapting its messaging after discovering its social media audience…
Goldilocks and the 3 Social Media Strategies
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether or not an external agency should (or even can) manage the social media efforts for a client’s company. Debates abound over efficiency, ethics, customer service and business strategy. To us, the answers are simple: yes, no…
The Irrelevance of LinkedIn
You’ve heard the upside about LinkedIn: it’s the top social network for business professionals. You’ve also heard the downside: it’s too formal, too strict, too limiting. But have you ever stopped to consider whether or not your LinkedIn experience is actually relevant? As a social…
Why Measuring Your Social Media ROI Is So Important
When marketing analyst Olivier Blanchard insists that businesses must track metrics in order to prove that social media is creating revenue, he’s right. Now he has a handy slideshow to explain why this is so important — and how you can do it, too. Olivier…
Cindi Bigelow’s Advice to Young Professionals
When you’re just starting out in business, you can get bombarded with advice on how to do (or not do) just about everything. So here’s a tip: focus on the advice from people who were once in the exact same spot you’re in, and who…
What Companies Fear Most About Social Media
A recent survey from eMarketer outlines both the perceived benefits and the primary concerns that business executives have about social media. Chief among their reservations: information security and employee productivity. Considering that 51% of the survey’s non-social media-using respondents said they “don’t know enough about”…
Yes, Magazine Sales Are Down, BUT…
Ad Age’s announcement that magazine sales dropped in 2009 for 24 of the top 25 sellers is a sobering thought, especially if you’re in the print business — or if you’re Cosmopolitan, who’s single issue sales dropped nearly 8%. But what’s less sensationalized is this…
Finding the Right Voice(s) for Your Brand
One of our clients, Ouidad, has ventured into the world of web video with a trio of hair care tips for the terminally curly. Each video has a different focus — beauty & empowerment, hair care on the go and 4-minute curls — which means…