The Right Way to Think About Social Media
by Steve Cunningham Tuesday Feb 2, 2010Metaphors are a very useful tool when trying to describe something new, and I have found it particularly useful when describing social media to those who want to understand what it is. I've heard them all over the past year or so, many of them posed as rhetorical questions, pointing to the logical conclusion that social media needs to be taken more seriously by marketers and entrepreneurs.
What Not to Do When a Prospect Unsubscribes
by Steve Cunningham Monday Jan 18, 2010If you are a fan of Hugh MacLeod and his diabolical cartoon riffs, you'll probably remember his now famous “If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they'd punch you in the face” line. I don't know that I've ever wanted to punch an advertiser in the face, but I recently got as close as I think I've ever been.
3 Questions to Kick-Start Your Web Content Strategy
by Steve Cunningham Monday Dec 28, 2009Whether you are a social media newbie or a social media expert, your single largest opportunity for success in 2010 will be to create a Web content strategy that generates traffic for you. Here are three easy questions you can ask yourself to kick-start that plan that you should answer well before you decide whether or not you need a Facebook Fan Page or what to do with your Twitter account. 1: What lies at the intersection of my passions and what my target market is interested in?
The Social Media Bill of Responsibilities, Part 1
by Steve Cunningham Monday Dec 7, 2009Here is a quote from Bill Maher that I absolutely love: "We have a Bill of Rights, what we need is a Bill of Responsibilities." Your Social Media Bill of Rights When using social media, you have the right to:
Learn How to Crush It like Gary Vaynerchuk
by Steve Cunningham Thursday Dec 3, 2009There are very few people in this world who can match the passion and entrepreneurial spirit of Gary Vaynerchuk. His book "Crush It" details what he believes are the keys to making it big in today's new business environment. It's hard to argue with his success, and I can say from experience that he's pretty much nailed the formula for success, if there ever was one. Watch the video, and then head straight to the book store to pick up this book.
Video: A Must-Read Social Media Guide
by Steve Cunningham Wednesday Nov 25, 2009"The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web" by Tamar Weinberg is simply the most comprehensive book on social media in existence. For me, it's more like the social media encyclopedia. For that reason, if you are ready to wade into the nitty-gritty details of how your business can succeed in social media, this is for you.
How Social Media Is Like Kindergarten Recess
by Steve Cunningham Tuesday Nov 24, 2009Yes, it’s an odd analogy…but bear with me here. I believe that (unless you were a grade school dropout) you already know all you need to know to be successful with social media. Why’s that? In a nutshell: times may have changed, but people fundamentally haven’t. The structures and interactions of a grade school recess are astonishingly similar to those of most social media communities.
Why You Need to Become a “Trust Agent” in 2010
by Steve Cunningham Sunday Nov 15, 2009One of the most important lessons the social media space has taught us is that trust is more critical to our business success than ever before. Trust in business isn’t a new concept. The speed at which it can be built or destroyed is. Quite simply, there is nowhere to hide anymore. Treat a customer poorly? The world knows about it. Say one thing and then do another? Ditto. Word gets around, and it gets around fast.
The Key to Social Media Success: the Direction Your Chopsticks Are Facing
by Steve Cunningham Sunday Nov 15, 2009Craig and Marc Kielburger are world-changers. With a simple motto and the actions to go along with it, they have impacted the lives of literally millions of people around the world. Craig, the younger of the two brothers, was named a “Global Leader of Tomorrow” at the World Economic Forum in 1998. He was 15 at the time. I was reading their book “Me to We” for the second time when I stumbled upon this Japanese fable at the beginning of Chapter 6:
