It’s rare when you come across a post that echoes the sentiments that you been thinking for awhile, but haven’t been able to articulate into words. That’s exactly what I felt after reading this post from C.C. Chapman. Only he articulated it 3 billion times better than I ever could. C.C. talks about the power of portraying vulnerability and “being real” online. I think this...
Why You Shouldn’t Invest In “Real-Time Marketing”
It all seemed to start with a dunk in the dark in February 2013. The tweet from an infamous cookie brand heard round the world at last year’s Super Bowl. Yes, the famous Oreo dunk in the dark tweet. It was like a simultaneous lightbulb went off for thousands of brand marketers and agency folks. We can do this too. Suddenly, a trend was born. A really, really bad trend, I would add. Now...
8 Lessons I Have Learned From 8.5 Years On Facebook
Confession, I’ve been on Facebook for almost a 1/3rd of my life. Yeah, let that sink in for a bit. I came to that somewhat awesome, yet also semi soul-crushing realization a few days ago. When I joined the social network in mid 2005, I was a naive 17-year-old, who thought they knew a lot more about everything than they really did. In the little over 8 years I have been on Facebook...
10 Things You Need To Stop Sharing On Facebook
There’s no denying Facebook can be a great tool. It allows us to connect with friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances in near real time. We can create profiles and let people know what’s going on in our lives. However, some people tend to share a little too much about their lives. Here’s 10 things you should stop sharing on Facebook. 1. Pregnancy and Child Birth...
2 Biggest Takeaways From Facebook’s Acquisition Of Instagram
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are well aware that Facebook just bought Instagram for a whooping $1 billion. Let’s just say Facebook made a very smart move. This recent acquisition signifies the rise of the two biggest trends of this year: The convergence of mobile and the shift to an image-powered Web. Instagram is arguably the very first mobile social network. With more...
Has Klout Gone Krazy? Or Just Its Users?
Yesterday, Klout made some fairly significant changes to their influence score algorithm. Like what most startups do, they wrote up a blog post explaining their reasoning for their changes. Their reason was they wanted to make Klout scores more accurate and transparent. Now, I’m not sure I’m buying that explanation since nowhere in that blog post is there even the slightest hint on...
7 Reasons Why You Are Being “Unfriended” On Facebook
Unfriending on Facebook can be like a virtual bitchslap. Many people take this stuff seriously. They get really offended when they lose a friend or two on Facebook. Find yourself being unfriended more and more lately? Here’s seven possible reasons why. 1. You still find it hilarious to poke people. “Poking” may be the most annoying social media behavior. You wouldn’t go...
Is Your Company Facebook Page A Waste Of Time?
You are probably thinking this is a pretty strange question for me to ask, given that I’m a big social media advocate. I firmly believe that just about any business can benefit from a solid social media strategy and outreach plan. In particular, a Facebook page is a chance for you to interact with your fans on a deeper and more meaningful level. It’s a place for you to ask questions...
21 Social Media Truths
1. Social media gives you the opportunity to be the best YOU possible. This applies to you and your brand. 2. There is no “one-size fits all” social media strategy. 3. Diving into social media without a strategy is like being on whitewater raft without a paddle. It’s probably not going to end well. 4. Crises happen everyday. Expect it will happen to you and your brand. Plan...
How A St. Louis TV Station Used Facebook To Cover The Good Friday Tornado
As many of you know, an EF3 tornado tore a path of destruction through portions of north St. Louis county, including a direct hit on the Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Through all the breaking news on social media channels, I noticed one TV news station, KMOV, that truly understood how to use social media, in this case Facebook, in a breaking news situation. Within minutes of the...