“Ideas worth sharing.” You probably recognize the famous tagline of TED, the phenomenal annual meeting of super bright presenters. Hopefully you’re already a regular consumer of the free video content offered through TED and, if you’re an iPhone user, hopefully you’ve already downloaded the TED app (yep, there IS an app for that).
Here’s a widely-known secret (it’s only a valuable secret to you if you’re willing to open your imagination and step away from conventional wisdom): [read more…]
Wonderful people at LikeMinds 2010 in Exeter, Devon, England in February. Speakers came from three continents and 350 attendees came from around the world, too.
Soon I’ll add a post or two from my experience at LikeMinds, but for now, I’ll simply post this video of one of the sponsors of the event, Molly Flatt of 1000Heads. (The speakers all received a quite cool Kodak ZA8 digital camcorder, so I’m sure there’ll be tons and tons of video content coming about LikeMinds.) This video does NOT give you three steps or seven secrets for getting more followers, increasing the number of fans of Facebook; it is simply social. That’s all. It features one person; one person who’s really cool to know.
Molly’s post on LikeMinds (for those still discussing the “content” of LikeMinds, please consider how Molly interacts with the “content.” Her post strikes me as a brilliant post-event post and one that highlights a robust reflection of “value.”)
Bet you heard the economy stinks, right? Bet you actually might even FEEL something that sure feels like a stinky economy. As of this moment, Edelman Digital has 30 job openings. How do I know this? I heard it directly from Rick Murray, President of Edelman Digital.
Rick says Edelman is always on the lookout for people who are naturally curious, not self-absorbed, and are willing to boldly be creative. Since July 2009, Rick’s division has added 50 new employees and he says he needs 30 more right now.
You can hear our conversation about Edelman’s cultural transformation to embrace social media, what tools have their attention at the moment, where they see social media heading and what’ll be required for companies to leverage it, and, most importantly, his exact words on what it takes to grab one of those 30 job openings at Edelman in the USA (he says they have even more openings outside the US).
UPDATE: Just heard from Rick (2/23/2010 11:00pm). He clarified that Edelman has 30 job openings in DIGITAL right now PLUS more openings in PR. If you needed a bright spot on the economic horizon, take a look at Edelman, be bold, put your serious/fun game face on, and do something to show your personality (and your track record of results). Now is the time to launch.
“There are four Americans pursuing every one job opening out there,” NPR on February 19, 2010. If that’s true, 75% of all job seekers are probably going to be disappointed.
MissDestructo is colorful in every sense of the word. Her boldness and genuine friendless enabled her to land the deal she wanted, even if it did take nine months.
With the world continuing to change so quickly (new technology, new media, new publishers and more), maybe it’s time to refocus on helpful stuff that doesn’t change—principles and admonition that have stood the proverbial test-of-time. Here’s a start:
Naked Conversations author and social media icon from his famed days at Microsoft, Robert Scoble, says, “You’re not supposed to be able to do what David Meerman Scott is about to tell you in this book.” The book Scoble had in mind is The New Rules of Marketing and PR and the thing you’re not supposed to be able to do is “use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing and online media to reach buyers directly.” It was profound when both men wrote—way, way back in 2006!
Before his book was released in stores, David Meerman Scott sent me an advance copy of World Wide Rave. We've had a good time getting to know each other through that WWRave. Can't wait to meet him face-to-face
The world has changed A LOT since David Meerman Scott wrote the first edition of The New Rules. He took a few minutes to talk with me about the new world, what he’s learned since New Rules because a run-away best-seller, and what he sees as important for the present. Last year his book World Wide Rave was published by John Wiley & Sons and already this year he’s released an second edition of New Rules.
Talk about cutting through the clutter! Want to make a point about pointless wall posts? Check out the Unmarketing hit song and video. Makes the point, yes? If you want to do something even more memorable, check out Scott’s contrarian marketing philosophy and tactics on his blog and Twitter stream (but please don’t post teddy bears, hearts, or even blessings on his wall).
Scott took a few minutes with me to talk about his upcoming book, Unmarketing, the tour to support it (how ’bout that “un-book tour”?), and the un-usual method he employed to git-r-done. Time with Scott is like happy hour at an oxygen bar: you’ll leave refreshed and pumped for a grand adventure.
Would you please share your stories with me to help wrap up Spitball Marketing: Using What You’ve Go to Get More of What You Want?
If you know of an individual or company who is using social media to shine a spotlight on customers or someone other than themselves, would you please share their story in the comments below or send the story to me by email? I’d like to include your stories in the book I’m working on, so by commenting below or emailing your story to me, you’re giving me permission to tell your story in Spitball Marketing and the marketing materials supporting it. In exchange, I will certainly give you credit in the book and promote your story as coming from you, everywhere I can.
This is a long, long, long shot, but, if you know of a politician or a political candidate who is using social media to shine a spotlight on constituents, PLEASE share that one with me.
If your story is included in Spitball Marketing, I’ll also send you five free copies as a “thank you,” and list you on the blog.
“Use the approach in this book and you will not only sell more, you will also live a rich and joyful life” Spencer Johnson, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Moved My Cheese? and coauthor of The One Minute $alesperson on Go-Givers Sells More
Bob Burg's new book will be available online and in stores February 18.
The ultimate salesperson’s dream is to sell more, have more fun doing it, and feeling really good about having done it. That’s exactly what you’ll discover if you buy into and apply the principles Bob Burg presents in his new book co-authored with John David Mann Go-Givers Sells More. It’ll be released February 18, 2010, but we’ll get to talk with him live this Tuesday, February 9, from 11:30am to 12:00pm ET.
Bob Burg and his business partner Thom Scott are the ones who asked me to be on the program Zig Ziglar is keynoting. (Speaking on the same program with Zig is one of those “impossible dreams” for me.) All three men share the same worldview, a worldview that’s essential for enduring success—you can have anything you want in life if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.
Please tune in to the Social Media Professor online this Tuesday for a mind-expanding, career enhancing, net worth building time talking about successful sales.
“Why did you do that?!” How many times did YOUR mother ask you that one?
Getting to the “why” is a fascinating journey. What drives human behavior? is a question every marketing pro contemplates. It’s a practical AND philosophical question. Philosophy is cool. This year I’m reading a couple of mind stretching philosophers from a long, long time ago (David Hume, the Scottish Skeptic, and Immanuel Kant, the transcendental idealist).
A couple of not-so-long-ago philosopher’s have popped up on my computer screen this year. These two are probably more accessible to the modern thinker than Hume and Kant. You might know them as entertainers—they are that AND much, much more.
MODERN PHILOSOPHER #1: Will Smith (yep, THAT Will Smith)
Michelle brings a fresh perspective to video. She also raises the bar for DIY produced video content! If you’ll watch her videos, I think you’ll catch a glimpse of the spunky spirit of social media—fun, unabashed-ness, openness, expression, personality.
Thank you to the thirty-one folks who took the time to complete the Twitter Tools Survey. The biggest single takeaway from the survey is, I’m quite the newbie when it comes to survey tools. (The other big takeaway is, there are some incredibly kind people online who do things like complete friends’ surveys and encourage them to keep learning.)
“There is that which is too much” Arthur, in the probably never-to-be-released script So That’s Life by Trey Pennington
You know I love social media, especially Twitter. The speed, volume, intensity, breadth…so many cool people, incredible ideas, fantastic expressions of passion, creativity, ingenuity, compassion. Sometimes, I suppose, it can be too much.
“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (MacBeth, Act V, Scene V).
Amidst the fury to embrace “new media” there’s a silent opportunity to reconnect with some very old media—the Shakespearian play, (quite possibly the ultimate social media?). Shakespeare captured the intensity of the human condition and crafted it into a drama actors and observers could live together. The modern tweeter, blogger, marketer, and even leader can learn much from Shakespeare.
In an age of instant-gurus, it’s reassuring to turn to a reliable source with a little age in the marketing world: AdAge. Their Power150 system objectively measures and assess blogs to create a reliable, public ranking for marketing bloggers.
The top five AdAge Top 5 marketing blogs combine unique perspectives and experiences into solid counsel for business leaders. Here are five lessons from these blogs, along with action steps for putting the lessons into practice to grow your business.
