How many times over the past several months have you been asked about social media (i.e., blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.)? Perhaps your family heard you talking about your Facebook page, a client overheard you mention something about your blog or perhaps a neighbor just learned about YouTube because a friend forwarded them a hilarious video. For whatever reason you have all of a sudden been singled out as an “expert” because you are participating across multiple social media platforms.

I’ve recently had this exact thing happen to me and I typically respond by saying, “I’m certainly not an ‘expert’ but I consider myself and advocate.”  Unless you’re Chris Brogan or a small handful of others that have been playing in this space from the very beginning, you likely aren’t an expert. Plus since this space is evolving every single day, just by nature of participation, we are all learning as we move along.

I would recommend that each of you reading this post strongly consider how you are positioning yourself in this ever changing space. I think there is an amazing opportunity to advocate (specifically to the business world) the basics of social media so folks aren’t jumping into these platforms without a clear understanding of how they work & how they work to your advantage.  Here are 5 speaking points I use with anyone to educate them on the basics of using social media:

1. What is social media? – I like to tell folks that social media are platforms for interaction and relationships, not content or ads (like traditional media). Don’t get me wrong, content is very important but only in the context of adding value to the interactions & relationships;
2. The State of the Social Media Industry – I also like to tell people that if you’re willing to be (1) consistent & (2) transparent, you’ll likely do well in the social media space.  People also love stats, so it is important that they understand the reality of today’s social media landscape – here are some great industry stats from Mashable;
3. Common misconceptions about social media – In order to best relate to someone that hasn’t yet explored social media, it is very important to discuss the most common misconceptions such as: it’s just another online fad, it’s just for teens or tech geeks, it’s not for business or it’s a BIG waste of time;
4. Corporate examples of social media programs – I was recently introduced to the good folks over at Blog Council who work with the largest corporations currently leveraging social media. They have some amazing case studies from companies such as Walmart, Intel, UPS and The Home Depot. I think this answers the question is it right for businesses:);
5. Develop a social media strategy – If at this point they are interested in moving forward, this step is a MUST. Like any good business goals, you must also be able to measure what you are doing across these social media platforms. I like to help them develop a strategy with realistic goals and measurements before they even start experimenting across these platforms.

What do you say to people who ask about social media as a whole or these specific platforms? Do you consider yourself to be an advocate? Personally, anyone who is willing to share their best practices and has proven (measurable) success should be talking to everyone experimenting with social media. If we don’t, this space that we all cherish and appreciate could quickly be flooded by folks that DON’T get it…and that would suck:).

This past holiday season I conducted a pseudo study of all the holiday or Christmas cards I received. Much to my sjogren, I discovered that almost 75% of the cards received hadn’t one bit of personalization on them except for the handwritten address. And probably half of those that weren’t personalized at all didn’t even have a handwritten address…but a printed lable. 

Please don’t get me wrong, we had a nice family photo card made via Shutterfly this year, last and probably the year prior.  But my wife and I usually sit down and sign each card typically writing a little personalized note on each. Besides, for many, this may be our only interaction with them all year!

Unfortunately, I believe we’re in a new era of “Template Personalization.” The dichotomy of the phrase is on purpose as ”template” and “personalization” are as opposite as “night” and “day.” Yet we see examples of this being used across all mediums of communication today. Here are 3 additional examples of “Template Personalization”:

• Blast Emails – We see this one all too much within the business world and in particular within public relations as many PR firms and professionals see a need to blast a pitch and worse yet, a release to hundreds of journalists…hoping for something to stick.
• Evite – I’ve used Evite’s many times and will continue to do so as they’re a great way of managing a party or event. But when you have a small group of friends, family or even coworkers your inviting for an event…why not use print invitations and write a personal invite on each?
• Automatic Direct Messages on Twitter - When you start following someone on Twitter (kind of like your “friends” on Facebook for those of you not using Twitter) there are many services out there that allow for you to send a template response or direct message to those that started following you. I’ve recently started calling attention to these via my Twitter account (here is a link to these tweets).

What are some good (or bad in this situation) examples of “Template Personalization” that you’ve seen? I look forward to adding to this list as I definitely plan on tweeting & posting on this subject often…consider it a pet peeve of mine:)

Earlier this week, I was once again reminded of the reality facing our “traditional media” landscape as 33 of the top daily newspapers sought out bankruptcy protection.

Among those in the “who’s who” list of papers included The Philadelphia Enquirer, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and Minneapolis Star Tribune. Honestly, I’m not one bit surprised by this news nor should anyone in the media or PR industry be shocked at these recent events.

Late last year the New York Times published a story entitled, “Newspaper Circulation Continues to Decline Rapidly.” The only positive (neutral) news coming out of last year’s study was the following excerpt:

“The exceptions among the nation’s biggest newspapers were USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, two national papers and the two largest in circulation, which were virtually unchanged, at 2.3 million for USA Today and 2 million for The Journal on weekdays. Neither paper publishes on Sundays. Among more than 100 papers with weekday circulation above 100,000, none had more than a fractional increase.”

Do you think it’s a coincidence that USA Today and The Wall Street Journal are also two of the earliest adopters of a strong online presence?  In fact, I remember the exact day (October 17, 2005) when The Wall Street Journal decided to shrink its print edition pushing readers to their website for the most up-to-date news and in-depth stories.  I also remember people complaining that the WSJ was moving towards a tabloid format and it was a risky move.

The reality is without an online presence (or focus), these daily newspapers don’t stand a shot.  In fact, unless these surviving daily newspapers can dive into the local grassroots journalism to differentiate thier papers…they too will be one of the many newspaper casualties.

What are your thoughts about the future of newspapers? Will we be down to a handful by 2012? Anxiously awaiting your thoughts & perspective!

Today I have to share a personal story with you & I ask each of you stop after reading this post and ask yourself, “how can I make a difference…today.”

Like almost half of American families, my parents were divorced and my loving mother took on the burden of raising her two boys by herself ever since I was 3 and my brother 5. She worked two jobs for as long as I could ever remember & her parents (my grandparents) chipped in as much as possible to make sure we were raised with good morals and ethics while she supported us financially. Ultimately, my brother & I had everything any two boys could ever want throughout our childhood – more love than most kids could ever ask for, a stocked fridge, new clothes on our backs and a role model for the ages. My mother didn’t just support our family financially and emotionally, she was also a “serial philanthropist” and was always donating her time and effort to a new cause in the community, for area churches and families in need.

My life suddenly changed my freshman year in college as she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had a tumor removed the size of a volleyball. Doctor’s said she would be fortunate to live another 3 months given the magnitude of the cancer & tumor. Two years later she had another tumor removed the size of a medicine ball (I believe this is in the medical record books…or so we were told by the doctors). Through it all, she was planning the first festival of its kind in my hometown…which ultimately raised several thousand dollars for local charities. The summer after my graduation & almost 3 years after the doctors told her she had 3 months to live, the fight ended at the tender age of 53.

The reason I share this story with you isn’t for sympathy or sadness but to remind you that we are all put on this earth for a mission and purpose. Although we all have our specific passions in life, I believe that EVERY person has a desire to give back & help others in some way, shape or form. My mother faced adversity in the face – being a single parent, working multiple jobs to keep her family together, and constantly giving back to the community all while fighting the illness that ultimately took her life. 

In the spirit of my mother & belief in the power of social media, today I am making it a personal goal to recruit at least 250 people to join a cause that I know will make a huge impact on a number of people’s lives called 12for12K. The goal is quite simple:

• 12 months
• 12 charities
• 1,200 caring people
• $10 per person each month
• $12,000 per charity

We are all looking adversity in the face today with these challenging economic conditions. However, I would ask that each of you dig a little deeper to ask yourself if you could do without just one of the following each month to change someone’s life forever?:

• 2 Starbucks coffees;
• 8 gallons of gas;
• 2 Subway sandwiches;
• 2 Happy Meals from McDonalds;
• 1 ticket to the movies;
• 1 DVD;
• 1 CD;
• Etc……

Please take a minute to think about how you could support 12for12K…and pass on the legacy someone your life who has inspired you to do good for others. Thank you in advance for paying this message forward to others!

I was recently interviewed by PRWeek for a story they ran on February 16 entitled, “Online marketplaces match firms with freelance pros” (subscription required). It made me realize that we are using many different (affordable) tools to help us remain nimble during these “challenging economic times.”

As most of you have probably heard me say, “I refuse to participate in the recession.” But at the same time, we have to be cognizant of the reality we’re facing every day as business owners and professionals. Here is a list of some of the tools, services and outlets that have helped us (1) save money, (2) save time & (3) remain competitive:

1.   Elance (http://www.elance.com) – Outsourcing isn’t just for the Fortune 500 anymore.  In fact, Elance is a wonderful place to connect with experienced freelancers, contractors, virtual assistants and even businesses. You can post a job description with details then review and interview your candidates before you make the decision…all online. The best part is you can tap into a global network of professionals, maximize the competitive environment and get high-end/professional services for a very reasonable cost.  We have used Elance in several capacities.

2.   Brads Deals (http://www.bradsdeals.com) – In today’s economy, you can’t afford not to find the very best deals on everything you purchase.  Brads Deals is a site that takes all the work off your plate and lines you up with the very best coupons, deals and values across 1,000+ retailers. Not only is Brads Deals a client, but we have started purchasing our office supplies, PCs, equipment and other business purchases on the site seeing as much as 60-70% savings.

3.   Base camp & High-rise (http://www.37signals.com/) – We were fortunate enough to find 37signals & their web-based software platforms early on in our business. As a result we are now using Base camp which serves as our intranet but is also an amazing project management tool [about $49/month].  The other piece we utilize is called High-rise which serves as our customer relationship management (CRM) database allowing us to track everyone we interact with (media, clients, prospects, partners, etc.) [About $24/month].

4.   RingCentral (http://www.ringcentral.com/) – RingCentral is a virtual phone system for your business. Bottom line, it allows you to act and function as if you’re a large Fortune 500 company for as little as $9.99/month. We have used RingCentral for about 6 months now as our primary phone #. Then they get a virtual directory to ring any one of our employees…the call is then forwarded to your office, then cell, then home (if you dare) and back to your voicemail if you don’t pick up anywhere. Then they send you an email with your voicemails…which allows you to save without clogging your voicemail.

5.   Social Media – How could I put together a Top 5 list about helping businesses without at least mentioning social media ? Besides the time investment, we can implement our social media strategy (and do) for no cost to our business.

As always, I’m sure there are hundreds of others we could add to the list. What tools is your business using to help during this recession? Please share!

I was recently reminded of the challenging and difficult decisions that we must make in the business world…especially those that cause many sleepless nights and constant second guessing. As a business owner I’m often faced with such decisions yet I rarely find myself losing sleep or second guessing myself. I’ve been raised to follow your heart and do what I know is right…even if it hurts.

Without naming names or getting into too much detail, several months ago I was faced with such a rare situation – in the first year of my business. Even though the end result was one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my young career as the owner of my company, it didn’t make the situation any easier to deal with at the time.

Several months back we had just started working with a new client who had an amazing new technology. After several months of sharing ideas and swapping business philosophies, we were eager to get started on this new client. Surprisingly, our first task was to support a decision they had made to litigate against a competitor infringing on their technology patent instead of leading with the various positive story angles around their innovative technology. We agreed to support such an announcement but advised that we shouldn’t be proactive with our outreach as with any litigation, they couldn’t get into details about the lawsuit at the end of the day. A story came out in a popular technology blog that the client viewed as unfavorable and ironically, this blog also happened to have a partnership with the competitor they had just named in a lawsuit. Here is the kicker…the very next day this blog was added to the lawsuit despite the hundreds of other partners this competitor had…the blog was the only partner added. That’s when my ethical radar kicked in.

To make a long story shorter, I made the decision to let that client go. Not because I didn’t agree that fighting for your patented technology was the right thing to do, but because they were leveraging litigation to get back at an unfavorable blog post. Not to mention my name & my firm’s name was on the release.

The reason I’m sharing this story with each of you is not to discuss if it was right or wrong to make this decision (I am at peace of mind today about my decision), but to remind each one of you to follow your heart and above all else…make the right decision, no matter how wrong it might feel at the time.

Have you ever looked back on a decision you made in business (or life) and no matter how hard it was to stomach at the time, felt refreshed that you truly did the right thing?

I’ll leave you with the words of the wise and crafty Mark Twain…”Always do right – - this will gratify some and astonish the rest.”

Before networking events, business luncheons, after-hours socials and our beloved social media platforms…there were three-martini lunches. I remember a story my grandfather told me soon after I first entered the business world. He talked about when he was an executive at WGN and would take a prospective client out to lunch. By the time they wrapped things up…several cocktails and stories later…they would undoubtedly have a new client (not to mention a killer buzz).

This story recently popped up in my memory this week as I was trying to pinpoint my feelings about why the “doubters” (specifically business folks) should join the social media party. I’d like to make a claim that social media can be a lot like three-martini lunches for the following 3 reasons:

• Let’s Just Talk: (Three-martini lunch) Grab a drink, relax, kick back and let’s get to know each other. We can talk about anything from sports & family to passions & interests. Ultimately, we hope to find a common ground. (Social media) We share many great conversations on Twitter, become friends on Facebook & find out that we have many things in common.
• Loosen Up A Little: (Three-martini lunch) After a drink or two we’ve loosened our tie, let down our business facet & seemed to forgetten that we were even here to talk business…and that’s okay. (Social Media) Although we all have information about our respective professions on our Twitter bios, blogs and LinkedIn pages, we find ourselves connecting with others because of who they are…not where they work.
• I’m Glad We Got To Know Each Other: (Three-martini lunch) When “lunch” is through, we’ve shared stories & laughes, advice & perspective, and stumble out of the restaurant with a new level of comfort and understanding for each other. (Social Media) We’ve shared pictures & links, posts & comments and at the end of the day we shut down our computers having made new connections…and friends.

So the next time you have someone poo-poo social media as a “new fangled technology” or any of the other “10 Most Common Social Media Myths,” just invite them to pull up a stool and allow you to pour them a drink:).

Do you have a good analogy that you use when educating the “doubters” or “skeptics” about this social media experience I like to call the world’s largest cocktail party? Cheers!

Today, TIME published a story by Jay Newton-Small called, “Congress’s New Love Affair with Twitter, for Better or Worse.”

I encourage you to read the story for yourself, but here is a quick summary…the story begins by sharing a story about Representative Pete Hoekstra from Michigan (@petehoekstra) and how sent tweets about his recent trip to Baghdad. Congratulations Rep. Hoekstra! Here’s to a new generation of political leaders truly engaging with their constituents – transparent, engaged in conversation & readily available!

Following this pattern (next generation of politicians), the story leads into President Obama’s remarkable use of social media during his presidential campaign. Surprisingly, the story suggests that there are a total of 65 Representatives on Twitter but most have various staffers managing these profiles (perhaps more of a one-way conversation than preferred).

The story continues on to share the various ways that Twitter is being used by various political entities and politicians. During the recent closed meetings with President Obama & Congress to discuss our nation’s stimulus package to the recent Alfalfa Club Dinner attended by Gov. Sarah Palin, President Obama & SC Chief Justice John Roberts. Such a great story concluded by this paragraph:

“Of course, if you’ve ever spent any time on Facebook or Twitter, you know that much of what people post is simply the boring minutia of daily life. Did we really need to know what Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley was doing for New Year’s? (“I didn’t stay up to see Ball drop. I will watch Hawkeyw ftball. Otherwise read. Not a very exciting new year celebration but tradition for me.”) Or that McCaskill broke her diet on Saturday and had a chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce? Probably not, but if Americans really want an unvarnished look at their elected Representatives, perhaps such mundane details are the price of admission.”

I applaud each politician actually leveraging Twitter & encourage each of your to ask your Representatives to join the party:)

Every since jumping on the Twitter train (my first tweet) the one ongoing question I’ve continued to hear is, “how do I leverage Twitter for my business?” In fact I recently wrote, “Mixing Twitter & Business – Congrats Dell!” Also, here is an awesome post from Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) entitled, “50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business.”

Like with any other business initiative, I would always recommend that you define your goals – in this case how you will be using Twitter or social media in general. In the spirit of being transparent, here’s why I’m here:

1. Engage in the social media experience to increase my knowledge and understanding of each platform;
2. Establish and foster relationships with individuals who might be able to add value to myself and my business;
3. Assist others and their business or clients in any way I can.

As a result of this ongoing question, I’ve spent some time asking many of my friends and followers which businesses they admire on Twitter. I’m following each and I plan on pulling this conversation into this blog and other social media platforms as I see great examples of businesses using Twitter (and other SM). Here is my shortlist:

@Zappos
@ComcastCares
@1800Flowers
@TheHomeDepot
@Threadless
@JetBlue
@Nordstrom
@CarlsJr

Also, Chris Pitre (@ChrisPitre) provided me with this awesome site that is an index for all different businesses and resources on Twitter – http://www.socialbrandindex.com/ (NOTE: just because a business is on this list it doesn’t mean they are doing a good job utilizing Twitter – i.e., following 6 with 20,000 following them).

Which businesses might you add to this shortlist? How do YOU leverage Twitter for your business or clients? I’m looking forward to your input as I’m treating this as a little side project/experiment:) Thanks!

I’ve constantly been impressed with President Obama’s marketing and PR savvy.  From David Axelrod to his new Commerce Secretary, Senator Judd Gregg, President Obama has coined a new term in marketing called, “poli-marketing” (or at least the first time I’ve heard of the term).

FOX News (The FOX Forum Blog) & John Tantillo came out with a great story yesterday about just this topic entitled, “THE FIRST 100 DAYS: Look Out, Washington, There’s a New Brand In Town.”

I’m continuing to read more on his various marketing tactics but I’ve really been enamored by his leverage of social media techniques throughout his campaign and now the various other marketing/PR moves he’s made in his role as President of the United States.

Proud to be an American. Proud to be a marketer:)