Social Networking Sites Getting Love

Today, I was quoted in a great article written by Tim Gray of TechNewsWorld.

I had a wonderful interview with Tim and we talked about a bazilion things that center around social media and where it’s going. Some of my other points I shared were that (a) companies are now trying to embark on a social media plan, but most do not have a clear strategy that ties into their overall business plan, and (b) many companies want the cool “blogs” and “podcasts” but don’t want to do the work involved to maintain them (nor do they want to pay companies like ours to do it for them, and (c) companies come to agencies like mine and others that offer social media as a service, but immediately want to know how they are going to generate revenue off of it…and really don’t like the answer in most cases…there isn’t any to be had, but social media participation is an insurance policy you can’t afford not to carry.

Great stuff, Tim! I can’t wait for the article on the YouTube lawsuit!

The Revolution in Marketing: Social Media

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to speak at a conference created by Francine Hardaway and graciously hosted by Joan Koerber Walker of ASBA. The Revolution in Marketing Conference brought together some amazing speakers and attendees both locally and from afar, and most importantly proved that social media is indeed a part of outreach that needs to be given some attention and discussion.

There are so many things to discuss over the coming week with regard to this conference, but a specific highlight of course was finally meeting Chris Heuer, the founder of the Social Media Clubwho truly has grasped not only a vision of social media and it’s impact on business, but more exciting to me personally, the once again realization that this “new media” or “internet world” has completely changed the rules of business, entreprenuership, and the economy.

I was joined by many esteemed panelists including Allan Sabo, Pamela Slim, Max Fose, Celia Blackwood, Kevin Donnellan, and
Ben Gordon.

Last, but not least, Robert Scoble closed out the day with many quips from a blogging fanatic – most importantly, a point that I think many missed but really need to remember is to simply pay attention to your customers. Acknowledge them. Period.

I’ll have more in the coming days to chat about, such as a warning not to dislike ice cream or you may be sued, how companies should see blogs as insurance rather than cost centers, and of course why old schoolers tick me off.