Don’t Be An Expert, Be A Trusted Advisor For Your Customers

Source Every professional wants their customer base to consider them well-informed and in the know, but there is a fine line between being an over-authoritative know-it-all and being a trusted advisor. The latter territory is what all professionals should aim for. Being a trusted advisor means your clients feel comfortable going to you for their needs because they feel confident…

Source The push for social media marketing has been growing in recent years, and any modern marketing campaign must include it. But what good are social media efforts if you’re not analyzing their efficacy? Surprisingly, many people overlook an essential part of the equation: marketing metrics. These allow you to track progress and measure your ROI – both essential parts…

Viral. It’s been been the goal of marketers and website owners since the days of “RE:FW:FW:RE:You gotta watch this” emails, which made videos and images spread across the globe. Today, email is the last place to try to “go viral,” but there are plenty of new venues in social media that do the trick in a more controllable manner than…

“Twitter is the best marketing tool in social media!” proclaims billions of social media gurus. Okay, great! Now how do we do it? “Engage! Be social! Think ‘rainbows and butterflies’ and you’ll be #winning with #tigerblood!” Unfortunately, this isn’t much of an exaggeration. We hear all the time how Twitter is about engagement. We know that it’s about being social….

Everyone has heard of “word of mouth.” It’s a grassroots style of marketing that uses the goodwill of current and future customers and magnifies it as much as possible. Two things have changed with social media emerging as a primary marketing venue. First, the potential to have messages amplified is much higher – individuals can spread their message much more…

As Twitter grows in importance as a branding, customer relations, and marketing tool, influence is becoming a key component to determining success in all three areas. While there are many ways to measure influence such as Klout, all seem to migrate to the same three basic elements: amplification, network, and reach. Increasing any one often has a direct effect on…

1972′s The Godfather, directed by the famed Francis Ford Coppola and featuring an all-star cast of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall, could be, by all accounts, one of the greatest movies of all time (just ask Stanley Kubrick ). Its reception has certainly been both critically and commercially positive; it has a 100% “Freshness” rating on…

What’s worse: to not have a presence on social media or to have one that does more harm than good? Neither is an option for businesses in 2011. You have to have a social media presence with a bare minimum of Twitter and Facebook. Your presence must be active. It doesn’t have to be super-strong or really large, but it…

Diligence. That’s it. There is no skill required, no tool necessary, no special knowledge to get you leads through social media. If you are diligent, you will succeed. Of course, there are tools, techniques, skills, and special knowledge that can make it a whole lot easier and more successful. Even with these, you still need diligence. The tools are out…

The Wire, one of the most influential, edgy shows ever presented on television (and the President’s favorite), has a lot to teach its viewers about America’s broken institutions, the drug war, corruption, and the trials of inner city life. The show’s characters often liken their personal lives and street personas to “a game” in which the players are held captive…