For the first few years of my career, I thought I wanted to work towards being a thought leader. Wouldn’t it be cool and beneficial if people saw me as a thought leader in all things digital marketing and community building. I can make big money. I can speak at big conferences. I can have the […]
Archive | marketing
The Breakout App of SXSW 2016: Snapchat???
A photo posted by Jessica Malnik (@jmalnik) on Mar 12, 2016 at 6:26pm PST Before SXSW every year, all the tech media sites and A-list bloggers talk about what will be the breakout app or site. It started after Twitter debuted and stole the show at SXSW in 2007. Then, Foursquare did this in 2009. […]
Why Your Company’s Instagram Account Is Not A Community (And Why That’s Okay!)
Many companies – and social media managers- are quick to call their social media accounts their community. In 99% of cases, this simply isn’t the case. Social media sites – like Instagram- are networks not communities. That’s perfectly okay. Both networks and communities serve super useful purposes. It’s when you confuse one for the other […]
3 Tips For Creating A Custom Editorial Calendar That Works For Your Business
If you are anything like me, one of the toughest parts about blogging is showing up to write when you are feeling uninspired or suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. One way to keep yourself accountable is to create an editorial calendar. I know for many of you this probably sounds scary and […]
Four Reasons Why All Bloggers Should Check Out The New Community Building Course
I’m super excited to announce that my first digital product is now live and open to the public for purchase. This comes in conjunction with a blog makeover. (I’d love to hear your thoughts- good and not-so-good – around the new, responsive design). The Create Your Tribe product is a month-long email course to help […]
A Community Manager’s Guide To Meerkat (With 6 Possible Use Cases)
At first glance, I didn’t want to like this app. I have written more than a couple of times about social media shiny object syndrome. Most of the sites that make an initial splash wear off and fade into relative obscurity within a couple of months. Think Highlight, Ello, Yo and so many more. After […]
The Case Against Gamifying Your Online Community
When it comes to launching a new online community or driving more engagement in an existing one, the first suggestions community managers usually bring up are gamification, giveaways and contests. It has become the default, go-to answer for many. I’ve seen this approach result in all kinds of headaches and problems time and time again. […]
Finding Your Sweet Spot As A Community Manager
Growing up, I was a huge basketball fan. Despite being slightly vertically challenged, I had a sweet spot on the court where I knew I could sync a jump shot regardless of pressure. I was in the zone, and knew no matter what obstacles were thrown around me I could focus and make the shot. […]
#ProductBuild: Halfway Done And Writing, Writing And More Writing
I’m writing this mere hours before the big, crystal ball drops in Times Square, and we (well to my U.S. based readers) ring in a brand, new year. So many will set out to tackle their New Year’s Resolutions bright and early tomorrow morning. While I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions (more on that in […]
What Does It Really Mean To “Surprise And Delight” A Client?
There’s a good chance you have seen this video from TD Bank floating around the Interwebz over the last week. They essentially rigged an “ATM” for a short period time to say, “Thanks!” and dispense meaningful gifts to some of their loyal customers. On the surface, this seems really awesome. A big brand- a bank […]
