Last week I presented the Fierce Loyalty model in a half-day workshop and during the Q & A, a gentleman raised his hand and said “I totally see how the pieces come together for fierce loyalty. m just wondering, is there a way to make them come together faster?”. This is far and away the number one question I get. Even though everyone understands that creating a fiercely loyal community takes commitment and time (just like any other relationship), we can’t let go of our need for speed. And I have good news. Yes, there are what I call “Fierce Loyalty Accelerators”. 2) Build in exclusivity. MORE >>

Pivoting is a term that is well known within the circles of technology start-ups. It It is one with which every small business should become more familiar. Pivoting is shifting your business strategy on short notice as a result of any number of expected or unforeseen circumstances. Today Google announced Google Drive – a free cloud computing service that will compete directly with market leader Dropbox – and many others. Given Google’s deep pockets, this is sure to change the game of cloud computing. Are they ready to pivot? Is your business ready to pivot? No more. Not many. MORE >>

Today’s guest post is written by Jay Pinkert. The founder of psychoanalysis,  Sigmund Freud , hypothesized that two conflicting desires motivate human behavior:  Eros (the life drive) and Thanatos (the death drive). Were he alive today, Freud undoubtedly would add a third: Viros (the drive to create viral videos). Marketers experience Viros more acutely than other people because they have to manage not only their own drive to capture Internet lightning in a bottle, but also their clients’ drive to do the same. For example, “offensive touching” is a criminal offense. MORE >>

?. Back in the day of small towns and dusty “main streets”, word of mouth was what kept the small business owners alive. That began to change as towns became cities, suburban sprawl developed, and mammoth shopping malls were built. The concept of marketing your small to medium sized business to individuals quickly became a thing of the past. Well, word of mouth marketing, more commonly known as social media marketing, is back – and it’s more immediate and powerful than ever before. Convince Me! Visibility. Self-promotion. That’s Too Much Work! What If I Blow It? And be consistent. MORE >>

Tweet Social Fresh recently published an infographic with highlights from their Facebook Advertising Report , which is the result of a survey completed by 347 Facebook advertisers. The report aims at understanding the challenges of Facebook advertising and how marketers are using the platform. According to Social Fresh, research on the topic is lacking and the goal with the report is thus to start creating better Facebook advertising, educational content and best practices. The 30% of the respondents that point their ads off of Facebook reported a 50% higher cost per click. MORE >>