Many creative types get frustrated when they work in a B2B situation, or any other industry that may be much less sexy than consumer technology, fashion, sports, or entertainment. Everyone wants to focus on creating the right content — content that will attract positive attention, better SEO and social media viral goodness. But what if you’re selling network cables? dumpster covers? toilet seats? the sticky stuff that keeps rugs from unraveling? What do you have to work with? Plenty. Solve a Problem. This is what is meant by becoming a resource. Get Relevant, Get Creative. MORE >>

I don’t normally gush, but if you want an amazing example of a broadcast journalist who truly understands the power of online community, look no further than  Stephen Clark’s participation on Twitter. Stephen is a local news anchor in Detroit for ABC affiliate, WXYZ who became very active on Twitter around the same time I was ramping up to move to Seattle in 2009. Yes, I’m back in Detroit , but I already covered this. Stephen doesn’t just tweet, he does the unthinkable for many in mainstream media: he actually participates in the Detroit social media community! MORE >>

For so many people nothing feels scarier than opening up yourself and your business to reader comments on a company blog; even seasoned bloggers recognize the difference between blogging for yourself and blogging for your business when faced with the challenge. Over the past couple years, I’ve had several conversations around how to manage comments — not just the workflow with respect to approving, reading, responding — but also the perspective necessary to have thick enough skin to distance yourself a bit from the sentiment or opinion being expressed. Save and Share. MORE >>

Social media marketing relies more on listening than broadcasting for good reason: Broadcasting doesn’t have the same impact as traditional media channels, and listening helps us measure and adapt to become more relevant to consumers. There’s a great quote from Jim Farley , Ford’s Group V.P. of Global Marketing, contained in the video posted below about the end game with social media marketing that says: “ You can’t just say it, you have to get the people to say it to each other.&# [Emphasis added]. Is our product good enough? Establishing Relevance. Make sense? MORE >>

I gave a presentation last night to a great group of people up near Saginaw, Michigan who have started the local Great Lakes Bay area Social Media Club chapter. This is the thing I’ve been really thinking about trying to capture — not how to use any particular social tool, but how to go about getting the support to use them; how to think and communicate strategically so everyone understands, at least from a visceral level, what I am trying to accomplish by making room for social media. Be Revolutionary: Creating change to support sustainable, strategic social media integration. MORE >>