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Branding
Why Should My Brand Use Social Media to ‘Engage’?
Feb 25th
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Reading time: < 1 minute
Today on a forum I frequent, a dude named Aaron posed an interesting question. He asked:
I’ve been very curious as to how top brands succeed in their social media efforts. Is it because they are popular? Or, is it because they are engaging their customers for real?… I feel that there’s still that missing link somewhere and so my question to you is:
How do you define ‘engagement’ when it comes to connecting with folks through social media?
Here was my answer:
Hey Aaron,
This a great question. To answer it simply, I think that the question can only be properly defined after the another one is posed and answered. That question is “What is the true intent of the person engaging?”
To engage someone for the sake of being a cool dude is much different than to engage them with the hopes of selling them something.
With the brand in mind, I think that the truest and most pure form of engagement comes from genuinely wanted to help your target. The brands most successful with social media are understanding that in order to really “move” a customer, the engagement HAS to More >
You Have The Power! Communicate Like A Superhero
Feb 23rd
Reading time: 3 – 3 minutes
Yes. Yes you can...
We could all benefit from more powerful communication skills. It’s a simple as that. I have ranted and raved for a while about producing content and branding. While these things are absolutely important, they mean nothing if you are not able to communicate your points and your thoughts in a powerful way.
The benefits of powerful communication are many. But contrary to popular beliefs, anyone can start today and improve their skills.
It only takes a little bit of time, patience and consistent effort. The results are worth the effort so give it a try starting today!
You Have the Power!I want you to watch this (thank me later):
Besides giving you your daily dose of awesome I want to tell you something. You already have everything you need to communicate powerfully already inside of you. Like He-man, YOU have the power. It might take some extra work to mine it out but, still, it’s there. Granted, there are some people who have exceptional gifts to communicate with others. You know the ones: Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, and JFK just to name a few. There might even be a few more in your industry More >
Branding? Just Do YOU!
Dec 2nd
Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes
Don't you agree?
Yo, yo, yo! (Yep…that’s how I’m greeting you today) In case you were unaware, I LOVE reading and learning about whats new and cool in the world of social media. Things in the space move extremely quickly and every single day there is something new happening.
But for many small businesses out there, the massive amount of info available makes it a confusing landscape. I talk to lots of business owners and the first thing many of them ask me is “WHERE DO I GET STARTED!!” (The capital letters means they are yelling at me…people like to yell at me for some reason…go figure)
Now in response to this question I tend to stray a bit from my contemporaries. Many social media consultants that I know will tell you that the first thing that you need to do is to start campaign to start “listening” to what people are saying about your company online. You can use some pretty simple tools to do this. But, if you are a smaller business who is just now trying to transition yourself online or don’t have a strong web presence then this wont really help you. There ARE More >
If You Aren’t an Expert, You Are Hopelessly Clueless
Oct 5th
Reading time: 3 – 3 minutes
So…Do you like the title of this post? I do. It really tickles me for some reason. Well anyway, today let’s talk about branding. More and more small biz owners and entrepreneurs are asking me what is the most important thing that they can do for the their businesses online. I tell them without blinking, “brand yourself and your company as experts in your field.”
There are many, many benefits to gaining ‘expert’ status. The main one is this: There are TONS of other businesses that do what you do. How in the world are you going to differentiate yourself from them all? (hint: the answer is to become an expert) Experts are “go to guys” in their industries; people seek THEM out when they have questions. When they talk, people listen. What could be better, right?
The Reason People Love ExpertsI really don’t care how knowledgeable you are on the subject you are seeking to become an expert in. Being an expert in more a matter of perception than it is of reality. This is what most people will NOT tell you. The reason people love experts is because they seem to possess a storehouse More >
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People: The BET Way
Jun 21st
Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes
I am a little disgruntled today. That is pretty hard to do because I consider myself a cool, collected and positive gent. (though some would disagree but who cares about THEM?) But today I have to vent just a little.
Growing up as a youngin from the burbs of Union City, California there were a few things that I could always count on. One was that my mom would definitely be asking me if I had eaten yet, even if she had seen me JUST polish off a plate of food. I could also count getting into crazy adventures with a great group of friends. Another one was that I would NOT be missing my favorite shows that came on BET. That was a no-no, something that I just didn’t do.
You see. For millions for kids (ALL kids, not just black, cause we ALL watched, don’t front) growing up in the mid-90′s all around the nation, BET served as a symbol of the limitless possibilities that could exist for black men and women out there in the realm of news and entertainment.
I was spellbound by shows such as Teen Summit which tackled relevant social issues affecting people More >
