Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett. A sad day but may they be in a better peaceful place.

In light of my action packed day I am going to  keep my portion of this post very short. I came across some very interesting stats this morning that talk about the growth of interactive advertising. I am ALWAYS in support of integration with offline, online and in-store for all of you who will come back to me to question social media’s importance. BUT I do feel that these stats indicate that no one is in a position to ignore the power of engaging their customers online. This information comes from Online Daily Media, posted by Joe Mandese and released Wednesday by WWP—the largest buyer of media in the world. I  am now reading all of my newspapers online. National Post, Globe and Mail, the NYT and Washington Post, and WSJ. Along with my twitter feeds from the likes of CNN, BBC and so many more, I can get all my news feeds quickly in real time. That, and I can control how and when I receive the information.
Read the rest of this entry »

Have you lost business this year? Are you keeping all of the customers that you believed were brand evangelists—the loyal and committed fans of your brand—in this soft economy? Or has their devotion waned? Coupons, discounts and other offers are now allowing customers to focus on value and bargains and to quickly bolt from the commitment they once had with you.
Read the rest of this entry »

In light of the response that I have received from some of my Linkedin Group members about the posts that I have shared—regarding social media—there is still a discomfort in moving ahead for many companies and business people. There are many others that are diving in and can see that this is now the best way to get leverage with their customers in this new soft economy—preparing for the robust but different future. We know that if you create the right strategy to begin with (know what your goals are before you start) you can and will be successful. Better yet, focus on the target market that has the spending and decision making power. Yes…I’m talking about women. They use social media and spend a significant time online. They love to share information and they want to engage with the companies that will fulfill their needs and address their challenges (because they understand). And the end benefit is that your company will gain a brand evangelist and a repeat customer that spreads the word to others like wild fire!
Read the rest of this entry »

The definition of strategy is “a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for getting ahead in the world.”
Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most spectacular things about the web, mobile technology and social media is the global reach and impact that it has. Right now in Iran, with the recent election uproar, the most precious commodity the Iranian people currently have is information. We take for granted our freedom of speech—the freedom to engage and the freedom to connect. It is ironic that I’m still trying to help customers, current and potential, understand the importance of connecting (something which many still look upon with trepidation). Yet for millions of people around the world, the struggle and difficulty to find a way to be heard makes this most basic right nearly impossible.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have had an interesting discussion with one of my group members from Linkedin. Yesterday, I posted a blog article regarding IBM’s upcoming  social network—as a way to Share what I have to say with a professional audience and provide better exposure for our business bcad Group and our agency Share. For those that do not know Linkedin, it is a social networking community for professionals—where you can connect with business people and through those connections have access to their connections. It is a great way to create exposure for your business and your services. Gain new insights, network for knowledge and learn about other peoples experiences.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s post comes from an article in IT Jungle by Dan Berger. IBM is launching a social network community called “Partner World Communities” The premise of this community is to accelerate technology mashups and facilitate sales. For those of you who do not know what a “mashup is” – In web development, a mashup is “a web page or application that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources to create a new service. (wikipedia source)
Read the rest of this entry »

In my last several posts I have provided case studies and all sorts of information about why your company needs to engage in social media. I would be remiss if I didn’t show some results. I wrote about the Ford Fiesta campaign where they gave 100 people Ford Fiesta cars for 6 months and asked them to blog, tweet, participate on Facebook and Youtube about their experiences. Ford—at the onset of the fall of the American Auto industry—dove right in and took the lead in terms of their use of social media. They are living proof (virtually speaking) that by integrating social media tools into your marketing strategy, you not only can successfully build a brand but also extend your reach. Letting the customer own the relationship and share that with others, leverages the credibility of a product or service in a way that the company itself just cannot do.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have a one word answer. Women. The Economist suggests that  women in the West are responsible for more than 80% of purchase decisons. That means they are purchasing in every product category—regardless of what many stereotypes suggest. That means not just great bags and shoes, but consumer electronics, cars and their maintenance and parts. That means the “traditional boy toys” are now the domain of the woman purchaser or decision maker that will decide what “boy toy” to buy!
Read the rest of this entry »