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Hi Social Media ReInvention Community Members,
We've migrated Social Media ReInvention's website to a new WordPress site!
I made this move to improve my services to my readers. Please continue following, reading, and subscribing to my blog at our new location.
Many thanks,
Tony Faustino
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Hi Social Media ReInvention Community. Sorry for not publishing and keeping in touch over the last few months. Some personal hiccups derailed and distracted me. Writing about these share-worthy links and giving my take on why I believe you’ll find them value is part of the process to get myself on track.
Thanks for your patience and support. Enjoy these links during your Sunday Brunch:
1. The New York Times: Farhad Manjoo’s Apple Watch Reviews: Apple Watch Review — Bliss, but Only after a Steep Learning Curve and Dear Diary: My Week Wearing an Apple Watch: It’s no surprise Apple asked Farhad Manjoo asked to test drive the Apple Watch as part of its product launch strategy. Farhad and his New York Times articles are HUGE influencers in the technology community. 96,500 Twitter followers can’t be wrong.
Read both articles. His Apple Watch Review serves as the Executive Summary. The “Dear Diary” Account delivers his comprehensive report. If you’re a tech geek (like me), read Farhad's seven-day recollections. Pure Gold.
And, I’m not saying this because there’s a $17,000 Apple Watch available for purchase.
He shares his Day 1 - Day 3 frustrations to learn and slog through the Apple Watch’s complexity (rather un-Apple-like) to the Day 5 Eureka Moment. He also touches upon the new Apple technologies: Force Touch, Taptic, and Glances are also explained. All of the above break new ground for this category.
My favorite parts of Farhad’s review focus on his thoughts around why the Apple Watch may achieve what Google Glass could not: social acceptability. Some of these key phrases from Farhad’s review explain why the Apple Watch’s design for subtlety may not experience the Google Glass Stigma or Glass-Hole Backlash:
“handsomely elegant without being flashy"
“you’ll forget its there until you notice it"
“only a handful of people asked what it was"
This understated elegance without the conspicuous consumption guilt contains the luxury goods marketing fingerprints and influence of Angela Ahrendts’ from her time as Burberry CEO.
After re-reading these articles, I believe the Apple Watch represents a major bet by the company to convince both Apple believers and non-believers on the long term benefits inherent in The Apple’s Ecosystem. Why?
2. recode.net: The Social Media Megaphone Every Brand Forgets. Cory Edwards (Adobe’s Head of Adobe’s Social Business Center of Excellence) wrote this article about brand management's lost opportunity: Employee Advocacy. Brands and companies frequently overlook and underrate this marketing tactic. Cory quotes statistics from an Altimeter Group study stating only 41% of brands have an employee advocacy strategy.
He describes how employee advocates can amplify a brand’s reach via employees’ participation in personal, social media channels. Employee advocacy scales marketing for companies of all sizes (from early stage startup to Fortune 500).
Check out Cory’s article (with its many helpful links):
3. The Wall Street Journal: Google Gives Boost to Mobile Friendly Sites and recode.net: After Prepping Publishers, ‘Mobilegeddon’ Search Tweak. I love how Rolfe Winkler (WSJ) and Mark Bergen (recode) simply explain the business implications and drivers behind Google’s latest search algorithm update:
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). Please share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: clydeorama
Farhad Manjoo of The New York Times published this thought-provoking article: Google’s Time At The Top May Be Nearing Its End. Manjoo discusses how Google’s current and past domination in desktop search advertising is leading to the source of its undoing as a technology leader.
Google’s Investor Relations Page proves Google has been an advertising company since October 2000. The company's $66 billion in 2014 revenues exceeds the respective, nominal GDPs of Luxembourg, Croatia, Uruguay, and Bulgaria.
Analysts express concern about future revenue sources driving Google’s growth:
I’m not a Google investor. But, these questions (and Google’s rising R&D and staffing expenditures) are a source of legitimate concern. Pouring tons of money into R&D doesn’t guarantee innovation.
Three Words via Deloitte’s Centre for Health Solutions: The Pharmaceutical Industry.
Facebook is not only investing in and deploying advertising tools like Conversion Lift Measurement and Facebook Atlas to measure, quantify, and validate how advertising ROI is better on its platform, but it's also increasing Facebook’s mobile advertising market share at Google’s expense.
Microsoft’s Office Suite commanded 90% of the enterprise desktop market. The problem is entreprise computing moved to mobile, cloud-based software.
So why didn’t Google Docs translate into a new and significant revenue stream (despite the fact that the stripped down version was and is still offered for free):
Google Docs had a 44-month headstart. That’s centuries in Internet time.
Why wasn’t this software invented in Google’s back yard and tailor-made for the enterprise market more than a mere blip in the Other Revenues line item of Google’s 2014 Financials?
Which brings us to this Wall Street Journal article about Memex: Sleuthing Search Engine — Even Better Than Google? Just as Steve Ballmer missed opportunities in the online and mobile market, how did Larry Page overlook a market tailor-made for an algorithm-driven, big data, technology company: Using Search to Track Down Criminals.
How did the US government create a search algorithm that’s equated to Google on steroids? Why can Memex expose 95% of what's on The Internet (while Google only shows us 5%)?
Is Google losing its edge? What’s your take on Google’s future and missed opportunities?
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). Please share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Matt From London
Earning Twitter followers for new users can be challenging. Are there best practices for organically increasing Twitter followers? Yes!
A quick Google search for “best practices for increasing twitter followers” generates 28,300,000 search engine results pages (SERPs):
28 million-plus! No wonder new users find building a following daunting. Who has time to rifle through SERPs totaling more than the individual populations of Peru or Afghanistan?
Here are 11 important Twitter best practices to increase followers. 17 research articles validate these best practices. I hope this post saves new users precious time (and frustration).
Fill out your Twitter profile completely. People won't follow eggs (or take those profiles seriously).
Source 1: Dan Zarella -- [Infographic] 5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More Followers
Source: Dan Zarella -- 5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More Followers
Tweet short. 70 characters is killer. Make your tweets easy to share. You’ll earn more RTs (and followers).
Source 3: Fast Company: THE PROVEN IDEAL LENGTH OF EVERY TWEET, FACEBOOK POST, AND HEADLINE ONLINE
Source: Fast Company: THE PROVEN IDEAL LENGTH OF EVERY TWEET, FACEBOOK POST, AND HEADLINE ONLINE
Posting lots of helpful links earns more followers. Positive correlations exist between high follower counts and high link sharing.
Source 4: Dan Zarella: New Data -- Tweet Lots of Links to Get Followers
Source: Dan Zarella: New Data -- Tweet Lots of Links to Get Followers
Tweet a minimum of 3 to 5 times daily. Your followers probably didn’t see your first tweet. “Second-chance tweets” help you reach 30% of your Twitter audience.
Research shows higher engagement later in the week (especially on weekends). Click Through Rate CTRs) and retweets (RTs) are higher.
Source 8: Kiss Metrics — The Science of Social Timing, Part 1 -- Social Network
Think of the “.@twittername” as an "Email Reply All.” It makes all the difference in gaining new followers (for you and the account you mentioned). Not including the “. (period)” shares your tweet with a smaller subset of his followers and yours.
Source 10: Twitter: The Basics -- What are replies and mentions?
Many Twitter sharing widgets automate only the article / blog post title. Go the extra mile by tracking down and mentioning the author's Twitter handle in your tweet.
The Internet rewards intentional and consistent acts of kindness in the long term.
Source 11: 7 Ways I Accidentally Got More Twitter Followers (and 7 Ways You Can on Purpose)
Hashtags create strategic opportunities for non-follower discovery. They differentiate your tweets from the herd. Hashtags increase the chances of another account noticing and taking action on your tweet.
That action could be “a follow."
Source 12: Buffer — 10 Surprising New Twitter Stats to Help You Reach More Followers
Source 13: CoSchedule: Best Practices Guide For Making Sure Your Posts Look Good on Social Media
Source: Buffer — 10 Surprising New Twitter Stats to Help You Reach More Followers
Review these charts from Buffer’s research. Images are everything.
Source 14: Buffer — How Twitter's Expanded Images Increase Clicks, Retweets and Favorites
Most #FF / #FollowFriday tweets cram as many Twitter handles as possible into one tweet. It’s great this person wants to introduce seven new people to her/his following:
The Problem. What's the reason for following these accounts?
The Solution. Personalize your #FF tweets with specific recommendations.
The Result. You may make someone smile.
Source 15: Ask Aaron Lee: How To Do Proper Follow Friday on Twitter
Source 16: Search Engine Journal: How to Get Twitter Followers
Link your Twitter profile with important online assets: your social networks (i.e., LinkedIn and Facebook), blog, website, and email signature. Include your Twitter profile on key offline marketing collateral (e.g., business cards, company letterhead, etc.).
Integrate your personal brand assets.
Source 17: Search Engine Journal — How to Get Twitter Followers
Photo Credit: Danny Sullivan
What did I forget?
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
Comments are open. Let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time). Please share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: epSos.de
61% of survey respondents say their personal blog helped Them Win Their Latest Job. My personal blog launched my new career in digital marketing strategy and analytics.
My last post shares why our professional and digital identities shouldn’t be beholden to a single social media platform. Do more than the herd. A personal website or blog differentiates you from other job candidates by showing how you go the extra mile.
It feels scary in the beginning. That’s okay. Dance with those scared and excited feelings — it means you’re on the right track:
I’m a Mac Fan so my app suggestions comply with that platform. I have no affiliations or business relationships with these products. I’m a loyal fan who wants to share these helpful resources with others.
Let’s get to work!
Mars Edit is amazing. This Mac app turbocharges offline time into ultra-productive blogging goodness. No internet connection required.
I host my personal blog on TypePad. No WiFi access meant no draft posts. I worked in TypePad’s editor because copying/pasting from another offline application (e.g., Microsoft Word) meant more time formatting.
A top-notch blog editing tool:
RSS feeds (real simple syndication) are how I track and monitor hundreds of industry publications and blogs for content ideas. An RSS dashboard allows for headline scanning In the time it takes to chug a cup of coffee. Make it your heads-up-display (HUD).
There are several great RSS feed aggregators. I use Netvibes.
How do you remember all that amazing research you discovered for future blog posts? Answer: Evernote for Mac. Like MarsEdit, the desktop app maximizes offline time. You can search, find, and integrate hyperlinks into your post without WiFi.
I read a lot to stay current on trends and research in:
I accidentally trip over great articles when researching future content ideas. Google Chrome’s Evernote Web Clipper makes saving and finding articles quick and painless. Highlight key sections and record ideas in seconds. The Evernote iPhone app syncs information with your desktop app (and vice versa).
Brett Kelly’s Evernote Essentials is a go-to resource. As I learn more hacks and tricks, I’ll share Brett’s advice in future posts.
I love my Moleskine Cahier Journals. If I lose one of my idea journals, I’ll tweet Lost SOS Images every five (5) minutes until it’s recovered:
Set aside time everyday to write down notes and ideas. Writing on paper activates your brain’s cognitive and learning processes better than digital tools. James Altucher refers to this process as using and developing your idea muscle. The Goal: Transform yourself into an Idea Machine.
Build confidence in your writing, knowledge, and critical thinking by reading books. Mitch Joel says it best:
From Mitch’s post: The Five Business Books That Shaped 2011: Read. Read. Read. Blog posts are great. So are Twitter, online newspapers and magazines and the occasional Podcast, but if you really want to deep-dive into a topic and spend more than a grazing moment with it, you have to read a well-written book about the topic that interests you.
My best 2014 professional development investment: Upgrading my Kindle. I read more at night without disturbing my wife (my snoring already annoys her, but that’s a post for another time).
Knowledge is competitive advantage. Reading one book per month, propels you ahead of the average American book reader by a factor greater than 100%. Thought leaders know this professional development habit rigs the game in their favor.
I like those odds. Don’t you?
Bonus: Here’s a 2014 review of my favorite books in digital marketing and entrepreneurship.
My go-to destination for beautiful, memorable pictures is Flickr’s Creative Commons Site. Pictures convey thoughts our words cannot.
Always cite the author and link back. The person who created that memorable picture, article, quote, etc. deserves the credit. Do the right thing.
Photo Credit: Abee5
Fast Company is my favorite business publication. The thought-provoking articles inspire me. Their talented writers teach me how to write: Jason Feifer, Austin Carr, Danielle Sacks, and Lydia Dishman.
A close second is Wired. Jessi Hempel departed Fortune.com last summer to join them, Might be time to ditch my Fortune Magazine subscription. If Christina Warren leaves Mashable, I’m toast.
In Fortune 500 years, I’m ancient. My personal reinvention process started six (6) years ago (one blog post at a time). Pivoting your career in a different direction is a good thing.
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). I hope you’ll also share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Cubosh
These posts in the blogosphere and LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform showcase employment trends describing why a personal blog or website is a vital 2015 professional development goal:
Facebook changed its policy for business and fan pages to a pay-for-play model. Small business owners who built their livelihoods around that platform are struggling to adapt. Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited Program continues eating away the monthly incomes of entrepreneurial authors / writers.
Adam Singer published this warning five+ years ago in his classic post, 19 Reasons You Should Blog And Not Just Tweet. Here are key snippets of Adam’s foresight from 2009:
3. Remember, you’re essentially contributing to someone else’s network on Twitter – certainly there are returns, but make no mistake they profit from your attention. I know you might not have a problem with that because you gain something too, but it’s good to be conscious of that fact.6. You own your work in a self-hosted blog and are in total control over how it is presented.
I know it’s not as “sexy” anymore (in reference to blogging) but it is still far more valuable and should not be discounted merely because the early adopters have shiny new object syndrome.
Long form content and blogging is coming back. Potential employers cite critical thinking and writing as key skills. Let's take advantage of our personal blogs / websites to show our thinking, analysis, and stories.
Transforming a complex or technical insight into a simple story is rare and sought after:
Hugh Macleod's home-spun wisdom from page 38 of his remarkable book, Freedom Is Blogging in Your Underwear speaks volumes:
My grandfather was a Scottish Highlands “crofter” — i.e., a small-time, mostly self-sufficient tenant farmer with his own little patch of land, who raised sheep and grew potatoes, turnips, and other stuff. And as I wrote in my second book, Evil Plans: hey, guess what — we’re all crofters now. Even people with secure day jobs in big corporations.Thanks to the Internet, we all have a little electronic “croft” — an electronic smallholding — to call our own what is commonly referred to as our own digital identity, which we can cultivate, like a small farm, however we see fit.
The good news is that, unlike my grandfather, we don’t have to spend our whole lives growing potatoes and shearing sheep for a mere pittance. We can sell things people find valuable — art and cartoons in my case, maybe consulting gigs or whatever in your case….
The Internet makes all this possible.
Go.
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. I want to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Share my work with your friends. Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like).
Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Anton Diaz
Brrrr! It’s cold in The Midwest (East/West Coaster Translation: The Flyover States). Please keep warm and enjoy these share-worthy links during your Sunday brunch.
1. NYTimes.com: Whether Working or Job Seeking, The Algorithm is Watching. Natasha Singer of The New York Times profiles two upcoming books in 2015:
Both detail how our online actions shape our personal and professional opportunities. Fertik’s book describes how machines trumps humans in important stages of the hiring process: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in resume screening.
21st century job-hunting demands a personal, digital marketing strategy. Here’s the article direct quote:
To better position oneself for such technology-aided hiring and workplace ranking systems, the authors suggest that people make their résumés “machine-readable.” For instance, they recommend that job seekers include concrete descriptions of their professional skills and competencies in their areas of expertise as well as signposts enumerating their career trajectories — all in language that algorithms could easily parse.
“A machine can figure out from your résumé how quickly you progressed from manager to senior manager to director — and whether your pace outstripped or lagged the typical pace,” said Michael Fertik, a co-author of “The Reputation Economy” and the chief executive of Reputation.com, a company that helps people and companies manage their online images.
So, before job candidates start worrying about whether they will be properly dressed for a job interview, he said, “it’s important for them to figure out if they’re dressed for the Internet.”
Dorie Clark, author of ReInventing YOU and the upcoming Stand Out, teaches traditional resumes are obsolete. There's a better way to acquire potential employers -- leave digital footprints via blogging, posting past project deliverables on Slideshare, updating our LinkedIn Profiles, etc.
Video via The Wall Street Journal: What Happens When You Submit Your Resume Online
Photo Credit: The Wall Street Journal — Your Resume Versus Oblivion
2. Entrepreneur.com: The 3 Ways Entrepreneurs Fail at Personal Branding and LinkedIn.com: Why You'd Better Start a Personal Website in 2015. Personal branding matters. Everyone participates in social media participation. Demonstrate to potential employers and clients you go the extra mile. Create and promote a personal blog or website to:
3. Bloomberg Businessweek: Tony Hsieh Is Building a Startup Paradise in Vegas. Bloomberg’s Susan Berfield describes the highs and lows of The Las Vegas Downtown Project. Tony Hsieh’s entrepreneurship and urban experiment to revitalize, reimagine, and reinvent downtown Las Vegas relies on 3C’s: Collisions, Co-learning, and Connectedness. His involvement consumes 50% of his day (the other 50%--- being Zappos CEO).
The "Return on Collisions” metric fascinates me:
Hsieh also came up with a way to calculate the value of people who “subscribe to downtown Las Vegas” but don’t want to live there. He’d tried to persuade Jake Bronstein to leave New York in 2012. Bronstein is the founder of Flint & Tinder, which makes the 10-Year Hoodie and other clothes. Hsieh invested in the retailer and says Bronstein comes to Vegas one week every month. “We did the math on Jake. When he’s here, he’s out about 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 12 weeks a year. So he’s worth 1,000 collisionable hours, too.”
Hsieh began to apply this metric to investments that might not make money for a while. “Say we want 100,000 collisionable hours a year from an investment. That works out to 2.3 hours per square foot per year,” he says, with a slight smile. “If we’re going to invest in a 3,000-square-foot restaurant, we can do the math and see if it yields that 2.3 hours per square foot per year. We’re kind of agnostic about what goes into a space. It’s ‘are you going to yield those collisionable hours?’ If not, we can say no without judging the quality of the idea.”
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). Please share my work with your friends.
Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Abee5
I love reading books. They’re my secret weapon for accessing critical thinking. Here’s a short listing of my favorite books / authors who inspired me and exhausted my Kindle in 2014 (by the author’s last name in alphabetical order). Note: Some of these titles are pre-2014.
Mitch Joel described Seth Godin's 18th book as the most beautiful illustration of Seth’s teachings. You can’t buy Seth’s latest book on Amazon (or any mainstream book retailer). You can only buy it at http://www.yourturn.link/. Beautiful, glossy images explode with color on every page. If I were a Hollywood producer, I’d pitch it as Linchpin and The Icarus Deception collide in a 20-car pile up at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week.
Seth calls out our schadenreude, spectator sport culture, and it’s power in curbing intelligent risk taking (except in Silicon Valley). When It's Your Turn is an in-your-face, call-to-arms, entrepreneurship manifesto. The battle cry rallies around showing up everyday, to create and ship our art. Now’s the time to revel in that uncomfortable place of “this may or may not work."
I'm moving into a new career as an entrepreneur in an early stage startup, That’s a scary leap after corporate life. But, those simultaneous feelings and fear are the right place to be:
I’m late in reading this classic marketing book. I hope to meet Seth, shake his hand, and talk marketing strategy. That requires fluency in Ideavirus terminology (i.e., sneezers - both promiscuous and powerful, the hive, persistence — not the one related to effort, vector, vacuum, amplifier, smoothness, etc.).
Ideavirus parallels Malcolm Gladwell’s idea diffusion theories from The Tipping Point and Geoffrey Moore’s insights from Crossing the Chasm. Like the Beatles music catalog, Ideavirus remains simple, timeless, and relevant.
I’m a die-hard fan and friend to Ann Handley. Last year, I published a public fan letter expressing my appreciation and respect for her work and generosity. Two weeks later, Ann sent me a signed copy of Content Rules and other great marketing books. Her attitude to give versus receive says it all.
Writing Matters. Writing with Purpose Matters More. Ann is an important inspiration for my blog post about six (6) C-Suite traits among awesome female executives who stand out. The media’s endless joy in reporting our children lag their global counterparts in the STEM 100 meter dash ignores an important fact: writing and storytelling skills propel financing for ideas and inventions.
Technical prowess and technical insight aren't enough. Creative storytelling and written communication carry equal weight (direct quote from Everybody Writes, page eight):
What’s harder is to find a book that functions for marketers as part writing and story guide, part instructional manual on the ground rules of ethical publishing, and part straight talk on some muscle-building writing processes and habits.
What’s also hard to find is a book that distills some helpful ideas about the craft of content simply and (I hope) memorably, framed for the marketer and businessperson, as opposed to say, the novelist or essayist or journalist.
I wrote this book because I couldn’t find what I wanted—part writing guide, part handbook on the rules of good sportsmanship in content marketing, and all-around reliable desk companion for anyone creating or directing content on behalf of brands.
Everybody Writes teaches disciplined practice to elevate and sustain our writing skills. Ann’s book reads like cozy conversation with her while enjoying a great cup of coffee or a couple of frosty Sam Adams beers (keep in mind, she’s a Bostonian).
Ann poured her heart and soul into this work (or as she says “gave birth to a Volkswagen”). I guarantee you’ll benefit from her knowledge, talent, and heart.
Bonus 1: Mitch Joel’s Episode #426 Six Pixel of Separation Podcast: Everybody Writes With Ann Handley.
Bonus 2: Speakers Spotlight YouTube Video — Ann Handley - Chief Content Officer | Bestselling Author.
If I could time travel to 2009, I would grab two books and my MacBook Pro before jumping into a hot tub time machine:
1. Tribes by Seth Godin
2. Platform by Michael Hyatt
If Tribes is the strategic and conceptual framework for digital leadership, Platform is the tactical roadmap for its successful execution. Creating and managing a personal brand is imperative in a crowded marketplace and recovering economy. Michael’s book unpacks the why's and how’s of building a digital platform — i.e., the collective fans who subscribe to and follow your blog, email newsletter, podcast, Twitter feed, etc.
He explains step-by-step how he built his influential online presence and to power his career as a publisher, educator, and public speaker.
Read this Wall Street Journal article by Taylor Swift (yes, that Taylor Swift). Her anecdote about an actress friend losing a movie role to another actor with a higher Twitter following extends beyond the entertainment industry. It's the heart of Michael’s book: the reach and influence of our digital platforms (or lack thereof) either rockets (or torpedoes) opportunity.
Art takes many forms (e.g., words, pictures, spreadsheets, presentations, sculptures, music, photographs, process diagrams, or anything we create with pride). These remarkable books capture Austin Kleon's philosophies and experiences on creating and promoting art. These fun, short reads answer two common questions among artists, writers, entrepreneurs, or marketers:
David Meerman Scott influences my thoughts and writing about reinventing marketing strategy every day. I fell in love with digital marketing and inbound marketing strategy after reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR five years ago. I own all of his marketing strategy books, and envy his ability to write with a rebel's heart.
When David sent me an advance copy of his latest book, I was honored and thrilled. He's leading the pack in describing how diverse organizations (from the Fortune 500, SMBs, and individual practitioners) use social selling to engage customers throughout the buying process. He published social selling success stories long before LinkedIn Sales Solutions made “social selling” in vogue.
His latest work may finally make organizations pay attention to their most valuable customers---their existing ones. Loyalty, fandom, and connection matter are game changers when fickle consumers can leave with a glance and a tap of their smartphones.
What has changed in the world of selling from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.
LinkedIn's Economic Graph Challenge generated tremendous hype. If Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn’s CEO), can morph How to Be a Power Connector’s core principles into simple, seamless, and intuitive features, he will create the world’s most valuable social network.
Inc. Magazine selected How to Be a Power Connector as the Number 1 Business Book of 2014. I’m twenty percent through it, and I’m convinced Judy's book and Seth Godin’s What to Do When It’s Your Turn (and It’s Always Your Turn) will prove indispensable in my new career as an entrepreneur.
I usually don’t publish reviews until I’ve finished reading the book. I made an exception with How to Be a Power Connector. Judy’s 25 years of wisdom and experiences are that important. I’ve arrived at the sobering realization my networking skills are deficient. I’ve done some things well. But, I lack consistency in adding value to my business network as well as strategically assessing, prioritizing, and systematizing it.
Thank goodness that's exactly what Judy teaches! Her book will change my life. Invest in yourself by buying and studying How to Be a Power Connector. It will change your life too.
Judy Robinett Speaker Reel from Creative Realm Entertainment on Vimeo.
Change the World. Every time I hear that overused cliche from another self-appointed, Silicon Valley genius, I wanna hurl (or please insert your own Wayne’s World reference).
Study Peter Thiel’s work (and his former Stanford Computer Science 183 Startup student, Blake Masters' notes) to learn and think like the real deal. The resounding themes throughout Thiel’s book: (1) think like a contrarian; (2) question and take action against conventional wisdom:
That courage to ask and act upon, "why does it have to be this way,” drove not only Thiel's entrepreneurial successes, but also the successful ventures of Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Max Levchin, and other PayPal Mafia members.
As a parent, I’m making it my life’s mission to inspire the same thinking and action in my daughters.
Traction delivers a clear, how-to method supported by real-world, actionable insights. Gabriel's and Justin's interviews and case studies describe the successful execution of Traction’s Bulls Eye Methodology. Bulls Eye focuses on the second most important aspect of an early stage startup’s life cycle:
I’ve ultra-summarized the book’s thesis. Read the first three chapters of Traction for free by joining the Traction Book mailing list. If you’re a team member of an early stage startup (like myself), invest in your company’s development by studying Gabriel and Justin’s book.
Please share in the comments the digital marketing and entrepreneurship business books you read in 2014. What did you love about them? How did they inspire you?
I’m here to learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. Let’er rip!
You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). I hope you’ll also share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Gerard Stolk (vers Noël)
Thank YOU. Publishing and writing for Social Media ReInvention Community Members brings me immense joy and fulfillment. I can’t thank you enough for your amazing support and generosity to read and share my content. Thank you of sticking with me for five and half years! Time's flown by.
If you missed some of these, you can check them out here:
1. Lesson 2 of 6: Reinventing You After Age 50 Case Study -- Michael Ovitz and Shifting Your Behavior
2. Mark Zuckerberg's 5 Point Plan for Facebook's Future Growth and Mobile Domination
4. 3 Career Management Lessons for a Social Media Age I Learned From My Dad
5. Lesson 3A of 6: Reinventing You After Age 50 Case Study -- Michael Ovitz and Developing Validators
6. Book Review: The New Rules of Sales and Service by David Meerman Scott
7. #FAIL: #AppleLive Debacle Exposes Apple's Real-Time Marketing Weaknesses
8. 4 More Gifts to Support Others That Power Your After Age 50 Reinvention
9. 3 Tips on Writing and Storytelling from Twitter's Investor Relations Team
10. Tim Cook's Killer Innovation Hack: Diversity in Thought in Apple's Ecosystem (with a Capital D)
That’s Kind of a Big Deal. I’m grateful because I reached that achievement through your support:
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Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Photo Credit: Peter Werkman
Margaret Heffernan poses a thought provoking question in her Fortune Magazine article titled: "Why Do Only 26 Fortune 500 Companies Have Female CEOs?”. She describes her conclusions via two (2) phenomenon (direct quotes):
Covering: A term used to describe the ways in which outside groups – women, minorities – try to cover up, minimize or disguise their difference. For women, this may manifest in any number of ways: never talking about domestic life, feigning an insincere interest in golf or football, steering clear of discussions on diversity.Calculating: Research shows that women are just as willing to compete in a game if – and it’s a big if – they believe they have a good chance of winning. In the Olympics, women entered confident that they competed on a level playing field – on which they could, and did, win. At work, women are very good at gauging their chances, eschewing contests in which they’re likely to fail.
So the challenge for women isn’t that they lack competitiveness or drive. It’s that they are shrewd estimators of risk and therefore spend too much energy trying to fit in, instead of standing out. And one way not to stand out is not to look ambitious or to ask for stretch assignments that we might not get.
I’m a Dad and Uncle of Two Remarkable Daughters and Four Incredible Nieces. My daughters are still young (10 and 3 years old). Two nieces are in university (the other two are pre-high school and kindergarten). Every time I see them it’s a gift. Time vanishes as I see their personalities, self-image, and self-confidence transform.
Please Don’t Jump to Conclusions by this Article’s Title. My mission as a parent (and uncle) isn’t to develop the next Most Powerful Women in a Fortune Magazine Most Admired Company. My goal as a parent and role model (I hope a good one on both counts) is to guide and encourage my female loved ones to:
I Gravitate to Proactive and Strategic Thinkers. I’m grateful some of these smart, generous women provide their friendship and advice. Others, I have yet to earn the privilege of meeting face-to-face. I’m lucky they’ve granted permission to directly communicate via emails, social media, blog commenting, etc.
Building and nurturing these relationships are important to:
Forgive Me for Focusing on Business World Examples. I’m aware of success patterns in other fields such as the arts, healthcare, entertainment, and education. I’m a marketing and corporate strategy geek. My stock and trade: identifying and uncovering trends/patterns from multiple industries.
Here’s What I Observe. These are the patterns and traits I am going to advise my daughters and nieces to practice so they stand out:
I Read Those Words and Think of Julie Roehm. Julie embodies safe is risky (and risky is safe). I’ve tracked Julie's career moves since 2005. She was THE Marketing Strategy Purple Cow of the automotive industry. She could have stayed in Detroit, but she took a risk in accepting a new challenge in the retail industry with Walmart.
It didn’t work.
I respect her for leaving an industry she knew like Coach Pat Summitt knows championships. If she stayed in Detroit, Julie could have continued making a great salary and building her sizable expertise and reputation. She took on a high-profile risk to learn if she could adapt and excel in a different corporate culture and industry (direct quote from a Fast Company 2009 article):
"I wanted to be able to show that I can adapt anywhere, I can do anything. The thing I learned about myself is that I'm not a full-on chameleon, and there's nothing wrong with that."
Julie Roehm Learned and Recovered from a HUGE Career Setback. That type of public, high-flyer mishap would have crushed most people. Not Julie.
She battled back for five years before becoming SAP’s Senior Vice President and Chief Storyteller. During her wilderness years, she hustled and scrapped like a Silicon Valley startup to create a dominating social media presence and reinvent her personal brand.
Julie was Relentless. She Showed Up Everyday. I’m glad she did. I’d miss her marketing talent, charisma, and chutzpah if she didn't. All successful women (insert your definition of success here) understand and practice the power of reinvention. Here’s great advice from my reinvention hero — the brilliant Dorie Clark:
Julie Reinvented Herself into a Multi-Media Storyteller. She's fearless where this might or might not work intersect. Check out her presentation from the 2013 Inbound Marketing Summit on Customer Storytelling: Elevating the Voice of the Customer in a B to B World. If this isn’t great storytelling AND putting yourself out there, I’m People Magazine’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive (not Thor):
I’ll Counsel My Daughters and Nieces to Seek Out and Welcome that "I’m Afraid Feeling.” If they have that feeling, they’re on track to doing or making something important. If it doesn’t work out, I want them to have the self-confidence and awareness they WILL recover. Because, they’ll be wiser and smarter for attempting "whatever it was."
Like Julie.
Everything Ann Handley Writes is a Gift to Humankind. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 63 different times, Ann Handley’s the best writer in the business. If you’re serious about your writing and content marketing:
Here’s a quick Handley Sampler on writing, content marketing, and storytelling:
“How Can I Write Like That?” I ask that question every time I read and study Ann’s work. I can’t (and I wouldn’t expect my daughters and nieces to either). There can be only one.
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content is One of 2014’s Most Important Business Books. Thank goodness Ann teaches great writing. She poured her heart and soul into this book (or as Ann says “like giving birth to a Volkswagen”). Invest in yourself and buy Ann’s book. I promise you’ll benefit from her knowledge, her hard-earned talent, and enormous heart.
Writing Matters. Writing with Purpose Matters More. The media’s endless joy in working up well-meaning, America parents that our children choke on the dust of their global counterparts in the STEM 100 meter dash ignores an important fact: writing and storytelling skills activate financing for ideas and inventions of talented students and entrepreneurs.
Here’s Ann purpose for Everybody Writes (direct quote from page eight):
What’s harder is to find a book that functions for marketers as part writing and story guide, part instructional manual on the ground rules of ethical publishing, and part straight talk on some muscle-building writing processes and habits.
What’s also hard to find is a book that distills some helpful ideas about the craft of content simply and (I hope) memorably, framed for the marketer and businessperson, as opposed to say, the novelist or essayist or journalist.
I wrote this book because I couldn’t find what I wanted—part writing guide, part handbook on the rules of good sportsmanship in content marketing, and all-around reliable desk companion for anyone creating or directing content on behalf of brands.
I’m Guarding Ann’s Book for My Daughters and Nieces Because A Significant Portion of Their Careers and Livelihoods Will Depend on It. That’s no overstatement. Whatever careers my daughters and nieces pursue, I’m advising them how writing well delivers lifelong competitive advantage. I'm guarding my hardcover and Kindle versions of Everybody Writes the way our German Shepherds express their protectiveness (with a “stranger/danger don’t mess with that book” 240 - 800 PSI stare).
Bonus 1: Mitch Joel’s Episode #426 Six Pixel of Separation Podcast: Everybody Writes With Ann Handley.
Bonus 2: Speakers Spotlight YouTube Video — Ann Handley - Chief Content Officer | Bestselling Author.
… and The Grit to Keep Speaking Up. Sallie Krawcheck thought she was done. More than once. I’ve followed Sallie’s career since her days as Wall Street’s Last Honest Analyst. I still have Sallie’s article from the March 21, 2005, Fortune Magazine Issue of “The Best Advice I Ever Got — Don’t Listen to the Naysayers (required daughter-niece reading).
Speaking Up Can Cost You Your Job. It cost Sallie hers as CitiGroup’s Chief Financial Officer and Head of Wealth Management. She published a follow-up LinkedIn article to "Ignore The Naysayers" with instructive advice on sticking to one’s personal principles (direct quotes from article’s conclusion):
I drew on this advice when I was a new research analyst and published less-than-rosy recommendations, when most of Wall Street was bullish and left me feeling exposed. I drew on it when senior executives of a couple of the companies I covered tried to have my boss fire me because they didn’t like that research. I drew on it when I was named Director of Research and we decided to take ourselves out of the investment banking business because we believed the client conflicts were too meaningful. And I drew on it in the recent market downturn, when my then-company and I disagreed on how to treat individual investors who had suffered investment losses from our products.Those were important. But its greatest impact may have been in less-public ways. Early on, this advice enabled me to “find my voice.” There is plenty of research that shows women are less likely than men to speak up in business meetings or state their opinions;many report that it is because their upbringing conditioned them to not stand out and to wait their turn. But sometimes the meeting is over before their turn comes. Having the confidence that standing out need not be a point of shame – but indeed can be a point of pride, particularly for the right reasons – can make the world of difference….perhaps especially for us southern females.
Sallie Krawcheck’s Next Act: Owner, Entrepreneur, Investor, Reformer, and Connector. Her latest ventures are The Ellevate Network and Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund. I know she’ll succeed because she’s doing something she loves and has personal meaning. She’s badass tough. That grit and mental toughness accounts for everything when confronting adversity.
Speaking Up Means Sharing Your Experiences to Help Others. Sallie’s LinkedIn Influencer Articles are vital in career development. I love her articles not only because her insights benefit me but also because her experiences guide me as a parent. Here are some of my fave Krawcheck Classics:
Remember The Connectors Malcolm Gladwell Describes in His Book, The Tipping Point? Gladwell discussed why the world’s Lois Weisbergs are influential and important. I’m blessed to know two in my life: Barbara (Barb) Karstrom and Kathryn (Kathy) Feldt. When I read these direct quotes from The Tipping Point, I think of Barb and Kathy:
Sprinkled among every walk of life, in other words, are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors.Connectors are important for more than simply the number of people they know. Their importance is also a function of the kinds of people they know.
They are people whom all of us can reach in only a few steps because, for one reason or another, they manage to occupy many different worlds and subcultures and niches.
The point about Connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together.
It isn’t just the case that the closer someone is to a Connector, the more powerful or the wealthier or the more opportunities he or she gets. It’s also the case that the closer an idea or a product comes to a Connector, the more power and opportunity it has as well.
Barb and Kathy are Living Proof of Who You Know is What You Know. They’re wicked smart, resourceful, successful, and well-connected. They can talk to anyone about anything because each “has a foot in so many different worlds.” They understand the value (and discovery) of diversity in thought. When I lived in Chicago (Barb) and St. Louis (Kathy), they introduced me to different people I’d never meet on my own (or would have access to).
I’ve Never Forgotten Their Kindness and Generosity. If you’re a current or aspiring Chicago-based or St. Louis-based female executive who's serious about your business career, invest in yourself and build a relationship with either Barb or Kathy. I’ll advise my daughters and nieces to seek out the Barbs and Kathys.
Buy them lunch / breakfast and get to know them. Just don’t talk smack about the Chicago White Sox (Barb) or St. Louis Cardinals (Kathy) when you meet them...
…that may not go over so well.
Bonus 1: Womenetics.com — Judy Robinett, Super-Connector, Helps People and Businesses to “Fill Their Holes”
Bonus 2: Forbes.com — Dorie Clark's Interview with Judy Robinett: How to Become a Power Connector
That Attitude is Why Zena Weist Became and Continues to Be One of Kansas City’s Most Important Digital Strategy Leaders and Ambassadors. Zena (or “Z" as I affectionately call her) is wicked smart and accomplished. She’s a Gladwell Triple Threat: Connector, Maven and Saleswoman.
The “stick of butter and a smile” reference comes from Jeremiah Owyang’s VentureBeat article: Here’s What Silicon Valley Can Learn from Good Old Midwestern Values. His great article highlights Zena’s thoughts on Midwestern values:
From Zena Weist of Kansas City, I learned about helping others, “A stick of butter and a smile, and no need to pay me back.”
I Learned That From Zena Too. These past six months, I benefited from her advice, knowledge, and connections so I could follow through on an important career change. I hope my daughters and nieces will practice how Z gives away abundance (without keeping score). There’s an important lesson (and movement) Jeremiah observes in Silicon Valley that’s relevant to delivering generosity (direct quote from his article):
The Midwestern value of helping others without expecting reciprocation is best summarized by the “stick of butter and a smile” axiom when a neighbor is in need. Silicon Valley’s traditional come-get-mine attitude rewards the disruptors and the fiercest competitors. While San Francisco boasts that nearly one of every eight residents are millionaires, a vast majority are not living at middle class standards and are struggling just to get by. The potential for a backlash is rapidly increasing.
Be Like Z. I hope the backlash Jeremiah writes about never comes to fruition. We can prevent it from happening one "stick of butter and a smile" at a time.
Susan Kare’s Advice For Young Designers Applies to Any Woman with an Opportunity for a Stretch Assignment. Kare has two (2) simple rules for designers: 1) Fake It Tlll You Make It and 2) Design Never Really Changes. When Susan Kare applied applied for Apple’s first-ever graphic designer position, she worked at a furniture store. She prepared for her interview by studying graphic design books from the Palo Alto library (direct article quotes):
Having designed many of the Mac's early system fonts such as Chicago, the (original) San Francisco, Geneva, and Monaco, Kare is one of the pioneers of early digital typography. But when she first applied to Apple, she was pulling her type design qualifications out of thin air.
"I was working at a furniture store at the time, and I didn't know the first thing about designing a typeface," she told me. "But I'd studied graphic design, so I said, 'How hard can it be?'" So Kare went to the Palo Alto Library and took out a number of books on typography. "I even brought them to my interview to prove I knew something about type, if anyone asked!" she laughs. "I went into it totally green."
She's not so green now. Here's a great video of Susan Kare sharing her design expertise:
Susan Kare, Iconographer (EG8) from EG Conference on Vimeo.
Think About That. If Susan Kare listened to The Resistance, she wouldn’t have achieved designer history. So if my daughters or nieces ever experience self-doubt, I’m going to tell them to have the self-confidence and self-belief to "fake it till they make it." Or, as Dorie Clark of Reinventing YOU, teaches: “Fake It Till You Become It.”
Bonus: Mitch Joel’s Episode #357 of Six Pixels of Separation Podcast: How To Reinvent You With Dorie Clark
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. I’m also here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. So let’er rip!
If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks for Stopping By!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Inbound Marketing Certified Professional and Author, Social Media ReInvention Blog
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