Engaging with key online communities

I did a presentation today at the Social Media for Marketing conference run by Classic Events at The Wanderers Club (which is looking superb by the way – very cool venue.)
I chatted about Social Media and focused on some tips that I’ve found to be effective when finding, engaging with and managing online communities around [...]

A few, quick moans….

(This post is not as intriguing as the title may suggest.)
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that people are getting involved in social media marketing.
BUT….make it part of your strategy, have a plan, make it your business to KNOW the channels, KNOW the key customers / opinion leaders.
In my opinion it is not [...]

Key points to consider when planning social media marketing

There’s an interesting debate going on at the moment on Matthew Buckland’s blog, the debate is as a result of his article titled ‘Social media for companies: What’s working?’ (Matt’s blog has received insane traffic and as a result I think his blog fell over so if you can’t access now then try again another [...]

Stick to your knitting

I am not a carpenter – if I need a bespoke coffee table I’ll find an experienced carpenter to make one.
My Dad is the vet, not me – I can’t heal my sick dog.
Just because I understand my own company balance sheet doesn’t mean I’m a financial or accounting expert.
I’m not a singer, if you [...]

How do you market if everyone has a soapbox?

I didn’t want to write a lengthy post on this as there are plenty of other bloggers who are doing a great job. I did however just want to raise some key points to consider so that Marketers and communication professionals can start to think about how they will take their brands to the next [...]

How does this social stuff fit in?

If you’re in the advertising, marketing, branding industries chances are that someone has chatted to you about incorporating social media into your campaigns. I’ve said before that social media should be evaluated like one would any other marketing platform – it also doesn’t work for or apply to every brand. It’s not a new miracle [...]

Seduction 101

Clever, well-targeted online marketing campaigns always catch my attention – this could be one to watch….If you think you’ve got the best pick-up line or the hottest seduction tip in town then head over to Seduction101 and let your peers decide. The top rated seduction tip wins an iPod touch.
Even if you’re ‘out of the [...]

SA Blook, Chapter 8: Building brand South Africa

To be successful a brand requires strong leadership, well-defined values and benefits and a credible communication strategy. Brand evangelists exist and the most well loved brands have become beacons of hope for many. Brand South Africa may not have all of the above but it has the key ingredients for success and an opportunity to [...]

Social Media: Simple, use your marketing brain and make a decision

There is a growing debate going on at the moment about Social Media and the validity / effectiveness it has from a marketing and business growth point of view. Mike, Andy and Marc have recently highlighted the issue which has resulted in much discussion.
I’ve commented on all the above posts but my main point is [...]