• Be A Tool, Not A Diversion
    Linkedin. Facebook. Twitter. Foursquare. Pinterest. YouTube. Vine. Instagram. Facevine. Linkederest. Twitsquare. There are so many social media platforms now that it's hard to tell the real names from the fake ones. There's so much competition out there for eyeballs and time, it is not enough to simply be a diversion. The platforms have to elevate to the status of "tool." You, too, should strive to be a tool.
  • Are You Suffering From Real-Time-Marketing Addiction? Apparently So
    People, let's have our first-ever Social Media Insider intervention, focusing on RTMA, or that devastating disease called Real-Time-Marketing Addiction. Ever since the Super Bowl, some brands just can't stop themselves from tweeting during big events. While for some brands, this works out, let's face it: Most people have no more interest in hearing what you have to say about the #royalbaby than they do in reading the fine print in your annual report.
  • Advice On Celebrating Your Successes
    In social media we talk so often of solving problems. Dealing with trolls. Managing content. Handling nights and weekends. Yet rarely do we discuss dealing with our success. And successes happen all the time. The individual you help on Facebook. The retweet by an influencer on Twitter. The video that gets picked up by an industry blogger. So, how do we note, celebrate and commemorate the good moments? Go out to a bar? Have a nice meal? Buy some new clothes?
  • This Week in Bad Messaging: Amber Alerts, Uncommunicated Blackouts, And Unneeded Corporate Apologies!
    Last week was the week where no one had trouble communicating about the #sharknado; this week was the one where no one could get their communications right. At some point, I can only hope we'll get better at matching the swiftness and accuracy with which we can communicate completely fictitious tornadoes made of sharks, with swiftness and accuracy when it comes to stuff that actually matters. We're not there yet. With that said, here's this week in bad messaging:
  • Yeah, This Week I'm Writing About The #Sharknado
    Please, God, save me from writing about the #sharknado. But I must. For if ever there was a Twitter-nado, it was last night, because of the beyond-awesome movie on Syfy called "Sharknado." For the uninitiated, the movie featured the entirely plausible premise that a tornado could contain hundreds of sharks - and that they would wreak incredible havoc on the streets of Los Angeles.
  • Four Freedoms To Drive Your Social Work
    Last night, instead of staying in a hotel room in Southern California, I hiked three miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and camped on a mountaintop with not another soul within a three-mile radius. During those six miles of round-trip walking and the time alone on the mountain, I came up with two ideas to drive my agency business, solved a creative challenge for one client, and established two core ideas for future columns. For me, walking and isolation spur thought. However, not everyone has the opportunity or desire for mid-week camping. What everyone does need, though, are moments to …
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