Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 31, 2018

Lately, I’ve been thinking way too much about organic B2B social media marketing. For obvious reasons, it’s where I play and have played for the last eight years. In that time, I’ve worked for some of the largest companies in the world and If you were to ask me what keeps me up at night it would vacillate between how can I do more with the tools and resources I have available to me and what am I missing?

Social Media 164

Social Media B2B Metrics Content 164

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 4, 2017

B2B Social media success is like the American ninja warrior TV show. Everyone makes it to the starting line and yet very few make it to the finish line. In fact, those that can make it just halfway through the course can sometimes advance to the next round, based simply on how difficult the course can be. They’re deemed, somewhat victorious for just getting ‘that far.

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Social Media B2B Conversation Marketing 100

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 21, 2017

What if you had no filter? What if there were no repercussions for your actions both offline and online? What kind of world would that be? That would be 2017, where streaming your crimes, your transgressions or other people’s flaws, misdeeds, and imperfections on your phone seem to be the norm. Then you go to sleep and you go to work. Then you go to sleep and you go to work.

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Mobile Facebook Film Sports 124

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 31, 2017

Why do you click on a piece of content? Probably because you were compelled to. Some trigger caused you to cross over the invisible threshold of no and maybe. Was it an image? Was it the promise of a video or was it because the source was one that you trusted? Chances are, the answer to all three questions is some sort of yes. Beyond that, what prompts us, is the text or words in front of the content.

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Blogger Content Video Eventful 137

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Today I was thinking about a website that I go to, from time to time called Quotes on Design. What’s cool is that you can constantly refresh the page for a new quote on design. That thinking posed a question internally… ‘How about a site on things I said? I quickly shut that thought down. But… Instead, here are things I’ve written in my Moleskine over the past 12 months.

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Pluck Analytics Crowdsourcing Mobile 100

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 5, 2016

Recently via ESPN, a social media drama played out nationally as a Texas A&M football recruit and one of their coaches sparred via Twitter , over the perception of each other’s veiled tweets. There will be no good that will come out of this. The fall out is bad mostly for the football coach and his respective university. The fall out is additionally bad because it also shows how recruiting athletes in a social media world can go terribly awry.

Social Media 100

Social Media Sports Twitter Instagram 100

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 18, 2016

In the back of every Vanity Fair edition is the Proust Questionnaire which is devoted to the answers of someone who is fairly well known. The answers never cease to make me think about my own mortality and legacy. The questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.

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Travel Eventful Questions How To 100

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 18, 2016

In the back of every Vanity Fair edition is the Proust Questionnaire which is devoted to the answers of someone who is fairly well known. The answers never cease to make me think about my own mortality and legacy. The questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.

Travel 100

Travel Questions How To 100

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 5, 2016

Recently via ESPN, a social media drama played out nationally as a Texas A&M football recruit and one of their coaches sparred via Twitter , over the perception of each other’s veiled tweets. There will be no good that will come out of this. The fall out is bad mostly for the football coach and his respective university. The fall out is additionally bad because it also shows how recruiting athletes in a social media world can go terribly awry.

Social Media 100

Social Media Sports Twitter Instagram 100

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Often times reading Twitter feeds can seem almost post-apocalyptic. A vast wasteland of nothing. You scroll through your feed and you see nothing redeeming. Fun fact, we used to refer to the World Wide Web with the same disdain. It essentially was the wild, wild, west where anything goes and anything went. Some think that’s no longer the case. never fear, there’s always Twitter.

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Twitter Feed Feedly Groups 100

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

About four years ago I wrote a post/checklist on what you should require when you hire your next social media rockstar. Recently I was asked to build a roles/responsibilities description for a client who had a similar ask and thus I thought my old post might help me in building out that description. So let’s relook at the post and see how it compares to 2015 with comments, updates and observations in red. 1.

Social Media 100

Social Media Collaboration Strategy Social Media Management 100

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

I was recently speaking to an entrepreneurship/marketing class in Naples Florida about what it takes to get something from cradle to grave. The main idea hit me like a ton of bricks, so I’m going to share it with you. It’s quick, so relax. It’s as simple as this. It starts with one person. It’s born from one idea. You take that one idea and you make it better.

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Class Products Marketing Company 100

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 20, 2015

Sh*t is getting ready to hit the fan again. Just now on Twitter I was curious about the Ashley Madison scandal. So I did a trending hashtag search on the topic. I found it fascinating how it kind of exposed sunlight to the other side of or the ugly side of the web where people like to play, preferrably in the dark. Pun intended. Think Bitcoins and Silk Road but in the name of cheating… For those in the know, this is just another notch in the belt of just how “nonprivate” your

Marketing 100

Marketing Paid Search Social Media Hashtag 100

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 17, 2015

'It’s true, the internet has shortened our attention spans. We’d rather watch a video than have to read 400 words or more. As a digital marketer one of the great challenges is to figure out what your audience wants and then to package that into something that’s measurable and moves the needle. It’s getting harder. You’d think that with the advent of all the new data tools and analytics packages on the market, that we would know exactly what the customer wants.

Content 100

Content Marketing Analytics Video 100

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 23, 2015

'The world of the content marketer/social media marketer is changing. I had mentioned in a previous post how it resets every day. When it does reset, we no longer are responding to what our readers, followers and fan say as much as we’re responding to what the analytics tell us in regards to consumption habits and trends from the previous day.

Social Media 100

Social Media Activities Conversation Content 100

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 18, 2015

'I promise you that what I’m about to say is worth reading. Before I elaborate though, let me stress that I am qualified to post something so link-baitish as this. I’ve been knee deep in social for the better part of 8 years. So much so, that it seems that not a year goes by now where I either hear or read about how social media doesn’t work or is useless or is dying.

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Social Media Marketing Social Media Management Engagement 100

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 8, 2015

'The short answer is no. The easy answer starts with Google’s Nest. Which is a smart thermostat. From there things have quickly spriraled out of control so to speak. In a short time The Internet of Things has become akin to what it was like when social media became a “thing.” Everyone is writing about it, everyone is talking about it and everyone is trying to figure out what it does, what it means and how it will affect us.

Social Media 100

Social Media Google 100

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'Did Facebook just jump the shark? Or does it just seem like it? Back in April of 2013, Facebook launched stickers but only in private messages. Now they’re is rolling out the “stickers” feature to everyone’s timeline posts, enabling users to voice their opinions with a cat, a smiley, or anything else that’s in the Facebook’s Sticker Store (social commerce?

Facebook 170

Facebook Social Media Features Questions 170

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 6, 2014

'First I want to quote a paragraph from the abstract of a 2011 paper by danah boyd , a renowned expert on teen culture and social media at Microsoft Research. The paper is titled, The Drama! Teen Conflict, Gossip, and Bullying in Networked Publics. Here’s the quote: “Drama is a gendered process that perpetrates conventional gender norms. It also reflects discourses of celebrity, particularly the mundane interpersonal conflict found on soap operas and reality television.

Social Media 228

Social Media Back channel Instagram Twitter 228

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

'I save way more than I need to. I’ll admit I do have a bit of a hoarder in me, not to the extremes that you see on TV, but only in the sense that the things that I save have a) some sort of lifetime business value or b) a sentimental family value. So, needless to say, there is a bit of an accumulation. That means not only do I occasionally print things out, but I also bookmark a lot of sites and I also write stuff down on anything and everything.

Sentiment 196

Sentiment Social Media ROI Strategy 196

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 3, 2014

'I haven’t been posting much, for that I blame it on client work. With that being said, I stumbled on this and thought I would share. It comes from a site called Funders and Founders. Good stuff!

How To 162

How To Sites 162

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

'Thanks to the folks over at Web Marketing 123 for this Infographic.

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Marketing 246

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

'One of the tougher jobs on any given days in the digital space is the curation and or the creation of good content. It’s everywhere and sometimes it doesn’t matter what RSS feeds ot Flip Boards or whatever you use to find it, it can slip through the cracks. Case in point, this morning I came across an interview with Erich Joachimsthaler, a former Harvard professor, author of over 40 articles & two books on brand strategy and the CEO of Vivaldi Partners Group.

Social Media 226

Social Media Metrics Loyalty B2B 226

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

'Twitter has the RT button and the favorite button. Linkedin has an endorse button, Facebook has a like button and G+ has the plus. I know you “get” what they all do, at least you should, but I have a question for you. Aren’t all of those social buttons just surface level engagement triggers that require little or no engagement by the user and the recipient?

LinkedIn 170

LinkedIn Social Capital Social Networking Twitter 170

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'It’s hard to actually write that in the title. Is it possible that G+ could actually compete with Facebook? Check out this infographic from Social Annex , what do you think?

Facebook 265

Facebook Google Social Media Compete 265

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 21, 2013

'Yahoo’s recent announcement of it’s intent to purchase Tumblr has brought out the virtual fangs. Let’s take a look at some of the more creative responses. . . . Tumblr users are passionate and are worried about what will happen to their platform. Is that passion enough to keep their pages safe from being “Yahoo’ed?” If the deal goes down, Tumblr as you and I once knew it, may be done.

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Tumblr Yahoo Flickr Posterous 226

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 14, 2013

'It can’t be good… I was going to go off on a rant, but the fact of the matter is…it can’t be good. You feel duped and cheated and misled.

Content 185

Content SEO 185

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 12, 2013

Are we becoming a nation or a society that is devaluing certain aspects of online privacy? As more and more of our lives become intertwined with online networks we become desensitized as to what is private and what is not. Take for example the liberties or assumptions that Live-Hive would like with your personal information. CtoCloud Application is requesting permission to: Manage your contacts.

Privacy 168

Privacy Applications Google Data 168

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Here’s a great infographic surreptitiously attached to an MBA in marketing lead gen site. Be that as it may on the interwebz, this inforgraphic nonetheless, is not bad.

Social Media 254

Social Media Marketing Sites 254

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 27, 2012

Looking back on the year, it’s easy to see what was big when we have the benefit of an infographic. At the least, there’s no doubt that social adds a layer and an element to our memories. Big shoutout to Mashable and The SEO Company.

Social Media 240

Social Media SEO Company 240

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 6, 2012

There’s no doubt any longer about social media permeating every aspect of our daily live’s. Here’s a great infographic on the true ubiquity of social. Thanks to the folks from Socially Aware Blog.

Social Media 232

Social Media Social Networking 232

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

You don’t know this but you are really driving the train. By your actions of buying smart phones at an alarming rate, by snapping up tablets like they’re going out of style, you have made it known to retailers that these are the new weapons of not only commerce, but online commerce as well. Retailers and advertisers and marketers used to be able to dictate and call the shots and we as consumers responded like we were pavlov’s favorite dogs.

Mobile 237

Mobile Smart Phone Retail Advertising 237

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Chances are, you have given away more than you have charged for…. For a lot of people, what they expect and get from their digital experiences isn’t even close to being reality. Want a few easy examples? OK. One of the most prevalent business models in the online world is to build a product or service and then give it away for free. Another prevalent business model in the online world is to build a product or service, give it away for free while trying to make money on people buying “other” thin

Tumblr 162

Tumblr Flickr WordPress Posterous 162

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 18, 2012

This morning’s thought: “I now need to go back and look at all my recent SEO work.” I like the competition of search. Every day is different and you have the ability and or the chance to “win” so to speak. It’ similar to watching the standings in Major League Baseball. Some days you may gain on the competition, other days you lose ground, and still others, nothing changes.

SEO 240

SEO Google Directory Engineering 240

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 12, 2012

Recently, my work required that I evaluate some of the top global brands in a certain industry in regards to internal b2b social media usage. I’ve used upwards of 7-10 free and paid social media monitoring and measurement tools to do it. I’ve looked at social data for a month and I have discovered two hurdles and one gap. I’m going to boil it down for you and spare you the pain of elaboration and if you happen to see me on the street I will give you the lodown on my findings.

Social Media 187

Social Media Engagement B2B Small Business 187

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 10, 2012

I love baseball and I coach baseball and I’m a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Recently I received an email from Pirates.com asking me to vote for pitcher Chris Resop for the Roberto Clemente Award which annually goes out to one player in major league baseball who selflessly gives back to the community. It’s a very prestigious award. It was nice to see that Chris was being nominated since my son holds Roberto Clemente in very high esteem, and Chris’s father happens to also coac

Case Study 189

Case Study System Study Communities 189

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 9, 2012

“The goal was not to sell units, but to increase favorability about the two brands among younger consumers,”? What do you think? The visual imagery, the soundtrack, it’s just done right and yet, where is the product? Created for Intel, does this have to make sense to be good or effective? Do you think the 55 million people who viewed it felt that they have been marketed to?

Video 164

Video Brands Marketing Products 164