Earlier this month while at Gilbane Boston 2011 with Ektron, I met up with Joe Pulizzi from the Content Marketing Institute. We talked about how companies that are community and revenue-growth oriented can put people back to work or in new roles in 2012. And these people can work from anywhere via the web.
The idea and requirements are simple. If people can create content, shape a storyline and have basic writing skills -- they are prime candidates to contribute to any organization's content marketing strategy. The keys are to redefine roles and collaborate with people who can craft meaningful, multimedia stories regardless of where they live/work.
Watch and share the video above including tips and a presentation to help you get started. On a related note, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose co-wrote a new book called, Managing Content Marketing. I'm reading my copy and will apply best practices in the book for Ektron and creatorbase communities in 2012.
Change is most certainly in the air. Put another way, change is constant and the best companies in the world choose to embrace change to grow, serve customers and gain competitive advantage.
Recently, I talked with Salim Hemdani, group vice president of experiences and platform at Razorfish, after his Ektron Developer Meetup presentation in San Francisco. We discussed how continuous innovation is a must in the context of the web and digital marketing. I enjoyed Salim's point of view regarding new consumer expectations, our ability as people to process more information faster, and related growth trends (i.e. mobile, social, devices, etc.) that seem to be fueling human evolution.
Many businesses are staying a step ahead of consumers to meet their digital needs. Cross-functional teams that master continuous innovation with the web are more likely to succeed in the next few years. Watch the brief video above and download Salim's presentation to learn more about his thoughts and how Razorfish is helping their enterprise clients including Best Buy, Dell, Disney, Intel, Ford, Sony, Staples and more.
Updated Nov. 4th: Here's an on-demand webinar that will help corporate communications, digital marketing and web content management leaders and executive sponsors. The content is based on thoughts and research from my Ektron role and relationships, recent Gartner Symposium/ITxpo and Forrester Marketing Forum conferences, books and research from Carol Rozwell, Jim Storer, Brian Solis, Mark McDonald, Anthony Bradley, Jeffrey Hayzlett and more. Last but not least -- hands-on community/social media innovation and execution during the past 10 years provided some guidance for this discussion.
If you support product, marketing and customer success initiatives for any size organization, you're probably involved in social media and community engagement. But do you have a meaningful social plan for 2012? Is there agreement and momentum across functions as to what is meaningful for your customers, partners and organization?
Register for this on-demand webinar that was recorded on Thursday, November 3, 2011. We used the #EktronGCPhashtag to discuss and will watch for your thoughts/quesions via this tag. I shared expertise, insights and recommendations from a wide variety of sources to help make this webinar meaningful for your 2012 initiatives and goals.
'You've got to find what you love' said Jobs in his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. Watch the ~15 minute video above, read the full transcript and share his wisdom.
I'll write another day about our meeting in 2004 in Palo Alto at his flagship Apple store. Our brief conversation made an impression then and now.
The past few months will probably go down in my history book as the most exciting summer break to date! We’ve all been there when considering our school days and those one or two summer experiences that seem to stand out. It used to be that things slow down in June, we enjoy time off with a variety of adventures, and then get back into it in early September. For me, this last summer was unique, influential, and I’m happy to share details about my new role and focus at Ektron, with thoughts from Tom Wentworth in this brief video.
I wouldn’t call the summer of ‘11 a vacation because there was more uncertainty than usual given that I was unemployed and searching for an outstanding team to join. But I had some unexpected time off and wanted to make the best of it. And that I did with a handful of activities and pursuits, like…
The summer of ‘11 was extraordinary but wasn’t all bliss because the 24/7 news stories about the deficit, economy and unemployment were constant reminders we live in challenging times, and gainful employment is not a guarantee, even when you're an over achiever. But the time off absolutely renewed my faith in how important it is -- at least from a SF Bay Area perspective -- to always pursue your passion, continually stretch your skills/expertise, take risks, enjoy every moment, and act daily with creativity and integrity as if it’s your last day on earth. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the Web and the many opportunities we all have to innovate and collaborate for the greater good with this amazing platform, still in its infancy. The journey continues!
OMMA Global NYC 2011
Today, I’m kicking-off my new role with Ektron (and as a creatorbase blogger) by moderating the ‘Essentials of Real-Time Marketing -- Email Plus Websites’ panel. The audience is in for a treat as industry veterans including Jeanniey Mullen from Zinio, Denise Giacoia from Trizetto, Josh Glantz from Publishers Clearing House and Fred Swain from Tafford Uniforms discuss and debate best practices, insights and what’s passé. Join us Monday, September 26th at 12:15 EST at the Marriott Marquis NY on the 7th floor or watch video from our session and other OMMA Global speakers after the event.
Stay tuned for more interesting developments via creatorbase and Ektron. Our focus will be on reaching, engaging and empowering the global community and us providing a space (digital and face-to-face) for you to create value! Want to connect on Facebook? Join other creators by liking this page.
Sometimes the obvious is not clear, especially if you work for a B2B organization in the midst of one of the most challenging business environments on record. But one thing is certain. B2B buyers no longer need to rely on sales and service teams to influence or make buying decisions. This digital reality is a growth opportunity and source of risk.
Christine Crandell, a B2B marketing strategist and Forbes blogger in the San Francisco Bay Area, provides suggestions on how to attract new buyers, retain customers, increase revenues and keep CEOs happy. The buyer's journey and content are key in this video discussion above. What are your thoughts?
There's no better time than Labor Day to share a story about how and why an obsession for beer became a thriving career and pastime. Dan Oliver, aka the 'Beer Guy' for the Palm Beach Post in South Florida, is a beer expert and creator focused on helping brewers, consumers and restaurant owners with his Watering Holes column and video production.
Tune into this brief video to learn how Dan's career changed course from sportscaster at WPEC TV12 to one of the most knowledgeable people in the world of beer. And find out why he shares his labor of love with consumers everywhere on the web.
What is your passion and can you make it a profitable, useful business or career? Want to connect on Facebook? Join us by liking this page.
It’s not every day you’re invited to do a test drive with a high performance luxury sedan in Napa, California including a memorable Bardessono lunch and hotel experience. So with a little time on my hands last week, and given that I’m a Volvo fan with an earlier model -- I decided to try the 2012 Volvo S60 R-Design via 75 miles of beautiful Napa countryside.
But first, a brief presentation from Greg Hembrough, the western division sales and marketing manager and Frank Vacca, the S60 brand manager from New Jersey was helpful and revealing. As Greg put it, the presentation wasn’t supposed to be anything like a time share pitch but really a starting point to help test drivers and current Volvo owners to understand just how far the new S60 R-Design has come and how it compares to other similar models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc.
Frank made a point to say that some brand objectives for the S60 R-Design are to amp up the visual intensity of the car, increase the overall performance and do all this at a price that beats other similar cars in its class. Further, with a 325 horsepower turbo engine, plenty of torque and a sporty but luxurious vibe, the new S60 R-Design is intended to inspire drivers and for them to enjoy the car’s practical fuel consumption.
When my wife and I purchased our first and current Volvo, we did it after years of being exposed to advertising and word of mouth about the quality and safety of Volvo cars. And with young kids and a family, it made sense to buy a Volvo sedan. While the S60 R-Design is built with Volvo’s quality and safety legacy in mind, this car provides a whole new level of luxury/sport sedan experience that awakens your senses and doesn't break the bank when compared to competitive models.
Thanks to Bardessono and Volvo teams for making it a memorable Napa day; experiential marketing at its best! Note to readers. I was not paid to participate in this test or to create the video/blog post. I'm just a happy Volvo customer.
Today is a significant day in the history of the Internet. On August 6, 1991, exactly twenty years ago, the World Wide Web became publicly available. Its creator, the now internationally known Tim Berners-Lee, posted a short summary of the project on the alt.hypertext newsgroup and gave birth to a new technology which would fundamentally change the world as we knew it.
The video above, created by Kate Ray, features a number of Internet pioneers and experts during the past 20 years including Tim Berners-Lee, Clay Shirky (author of 'Cognitive Surplus'), David Weinberger (author of 'The Cluetrain Manifesto'), etc. -- and also touches on the future including what many refer to as the Semantic Web.
The ~14 minute clip has flashes of insight, humor, nerdiness, history, and it reminds us of what can happen if we're too connected too much of the time. What do you think is in store for the next 20 years? Here's a related post to read and share.
Many small businesses and their owners are struggling these days. For one store called 'Hercules' in the West Village of NY, a small team of creators behind StoreBuyout.com did something that has probably never been done before!
Watch this brief video clip to see the power of an idea, storytelling and social media. All for a good cause. Want to connect on Facebook? Join us by liking this page.
