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Membership to our group is free and we have over 4600 members at http://bit.ly/b0Ysm. Cheers, ilana eberson
Please read the article below. It encourages a warm heart, a giving state of mind and a grateful spirit. An excellent way to go into a new year, full of new opportunities and possibilities.
Wishing you a golden year ahead.
Cheers, ilana
Bruna Martinuzzi is an expert in leadership and presentation skills. Her latest book The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow
explains how to become the kind of person others want to follow. Here
is her list for twelve New Year’s resolutions to make you a mensch in
2010.
Give people gifts other than those that you buy.
This means giving someone a second chance, giving someone the benefit
of the doubt, and giving others a reason to want to work for you
besides earning a living. It entails giving others latitude, permission
to make mistakes, and all the information they need to do the job. It
means giving them the authority that goes with that responsibility and
giving them due credit for their ideas.
Become a talent hunter.
The biggest hunger in anyone’s eyes is the hunger for appreciation.
Genuinely acknowledging others is high octane fuel for the soul.
Sharing ideas and information that can enrich.
To that end, derive inspiration from Charles Leadbeater’s words: “In
the past, you were what you owned. Now you are what you share.”
Spend more time in the “beginner’s mind.”
This means replacing “Been there, done that” with “Tell me more.” It
translates into moving away from pushing into allowing, from insecure
to secure, and from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. It’s
forgetting about being perfect and enjoying being in the moment.
Minimize the space you take up. When you enter a crowded coffee shop with a partner, don’t hog two tables to spread your papers around. It’s a form of theft.
Become a relationship anthropologist.
Know the difference between a conversation and a discussion. A
discussion involves issues or right vs. wrong. It is an exchange of
facts, opinions and data. A conversation involves an exploration of
another person for the sole purpose of learning about that person.
Be happy for others. The exact opposite of the word envy is farginen,
which is what happens when you celebrate others’ accomplishments as you
would celebrate your own. Take a moment to absorb the spiritual beauty
of this concept by viewing this video clip that explains the Generosity of Spirit.
Get rid of grudges. Whether they are for real or imaginary slights, raise the bar on your own behavior by forgiving and moving on.
Help others caress the rainbow.
This means show them how to have hope. There is tremendous positive
psychological capital to be gained if we are resolute to tap into it to
help others.
Make people feel better about themselves.
We cannot control everyone liking us, but we can control how others
feel when they interact with us. Do others feel better about themselves
after they spend time with you?
View all promises you made in 2009 as an unpaid debt.
Promises imply trust, but trust is fragile. It's like a Christmas tree
ornament—one slip can shatter it. And we all know that once it's
shattered, it’s very difficult to put it back together.
In today’s tech world people spend
a lot of time sitting before computers and laptops; this is 100% true
in the case of software engineers, computer geeks, internet addicts, and online
gamers. Those people who involve in these activities do face several eye related
problems at some stage of their life and this is because they don’t care or
think about their eyes. And for those people who are really interested to
overcome these problems, I hope my tips on how to take care of eyes will
certainly come in handy.
1. Eye exercises: this is one of the best tips in eye care where you
should try to create some
short breaks from your regular work and in those breaks try to do follow this
exercise which is very simple and easy – “ blink your
eyes first for several times and after that keep your
eyes closed and just roll your eyes clockwise and anticlockwise and in between
this process take several deep breaths and breathe out slowly and open your
eyes” do this exercise for about 1 minute and repeat it for 2 – 3 times
before going to work.
2.
Look distant objects: if you are spending
long hours, look at distant objects in your work place or outside. This method
of looking at distant object and returning to normal near vision helps the eyes
to focus better. Try to do this for about 5min every 1
hour.
3.
Follow the palming method: in this method rub your hands against each
other till you get them warm and with this you cup your eyes for about 1 minute.
This helps to relax and soothe your tired eyes. There are two advantages of this
method where your eyes get relaxed and elbows get exercised.
4.
Have a walk: in between the breaks you take
a walk, which helps in relaxing your body as well as your eyes with good blood
supply.
5.Water magic: you can use water for several ways:a) You can
splash water on your face which helps you feel refreshed and relaxed.b)
Drink more water which helps in reducing puffiness of your
eyes.
6.
Take healthy food: eat fruits especially
citrus, tomatoes, spinach, green vegetables and dairy products which contain
vitamins like A, C and E.
a) Visit physician: visit the eye specialist, at least once in a year and
if you have any problems related to eye then immediately visit
him.
b)Reduce intake of alcohol and smoking:
nicotine and alcohol contain several toxins which affect the optic nerve in the
long run so avoid taking alcohol and cigarette.
c) Please don’t rub your eyes: never rub your eyes when any dust particle enters your
eyes rather just blink your eyes so that the tears which are produced clear off
the dust material. Rubbing of eyes will irritate and sometimes damage eyes,
further if you any problem in removing the dust particle immediately consult the
doctor.
d)
Better use anti glare glasses: these glasses are used to focus on any
object. These glasses can be used while working with the computers as suggested
by some physicians.
I was intrigued when I read on the Harvard Business Review web site "Do we celebrate the wrong CEOs?" The article quickly pointed out that many of the best known CEOs - and often named as most respected - didn't come close to making the list of the top 100 best performing CEOs.
Some of those on Barron's list of top 30 most respected that did not
make the cut as best performing include Immelt of GE, Dimon of
JPMorganChase, Palmesano of IBM and Tillerson of ExxonMobil. It did
seem striking that often business people admire those who are at the top of organizations, regardless of their performance.
I was delighted when HBR put out the full article "The Best Performing CEOs in the World."
And it is indeed an academic exercise of great value. The authors
looked at CEOs who came into their jobs either just before 2000, or
during the decade, and the results they obtained for shareholders.
There were 1,999 leaders who fit the timeframe. As has held true for a long time in the marketplace,
the top 100 accounted for the vast majority of wealth creation -
meaning if you were invested with them you captured most of the
decade's return - while the bulk of CEOs added little value and a great
chunk created negative returns. (It does beg the question -
why do Boards of Directors keep on CEOs who destroy shareholder value -
like Barnes of Sara Lee, for example? It would seem something is
demonstrably wrong when CEOs remain in their jobs, usually with
multi-million dollar compensation packages, when year after year
performance is so bad.)
The list of "Top 50 CEOs" is available on the HBR website. This group created 32% average gains every year! They created over $48.2B of value for investors. Comparatively, the bottom 50 had negative 20% annual returns, and lost over $18.3B. As an investor, or employee, it is much, much better to be with the top 5% than to be anywhere else on the list. However, only 5 of the top best performers were on the list of top 50 highest paid
--- demonstrating again that CEO pay is not really tied to performance
(and perhaps at least part of the explanation for why business leaders
are less admired now than the previous decade.)
Consistent among the top 50 was the ability to adapt. Especially the top 10. Steve Jobs of Apple was #1,
a leader and company I've blogged about several times. As readers
know, Apple went from a niche producer of PCs to a leader in several
markets completely unrelated to PCs under Mr. Jobs leadership. His
ability to keep moving his company back into the growth Rapids by
rejecting "focus on the core" and instead using White Space to develop
new products for growth markets has been a model well worth following.
And in which to be invested.
Similarly, the
leaders of Cisco, Amazon, eBay and Google have been listed here largely
due to their willingness to keep moving into new markets. Cisco was profiled in my book Create Marketplace Disruption for its model of Disruption that keeps the company constantly opening White Space. Amazon went from an obscure promoter of non-inventoried books to the leader in changing how books are sold, to the premier on-line retailer of all kinds of products, to the leader in digitizing books and periodicals with its Kindle launch. eBay has to be given credit for doing much more than creating a garage sale - they are now the leader in independent retailing with eBay stores. And their growth of PayPal is on the vanguard of changing how we spend money - eliminating checks and making digital transactions commonplace. Of course Google has moved from a search engine to a leader in advertising (displacing Yahoo!) as well as offering enterprise software (such as Google Wave), cloud applications to displace the desktop applications, and emerging into the mobile data/telephony marketplace with Android. All of these company leaders were willing
to Disrupt their company's "core" in order to use White Space that kept
the company constantly moving into new markets and GROWTH.
We can see the same behavior among other leaders in the top 10 not previously profiled here. Samsung has moved from a second rate radio/TV manufacturer to a leader in multiple electronics marketplaces and the premier company in rapid product development and innovation implementation. Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that has returned almost 2,000% to investors - while the leaders of Merck and Pfizer have taken their companies the opposite direction. By taking on market challenges with new approaches Gilead has used flexibility and adaptation to dramatically outperform companies with much greater resources -- but an unwillingness to overcome their Lock-ins.
Three names not on the list are worth noting. Jack Welch was a great Disruptor and advocate of White Space (again, profiled in my book). But his work was in the 1990s.
His replacement (Mr. Immelt) has fared considerably more poorly - as
have investors - as the rate of Disruption and White Space has fallen
off a proverbial cliff. Even though much of what made GE great is
still in place, the willingness to Defend & Extend, as happened in
financial services, has increased under Mr. Immelt to the detriment of
investors.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are now good friends, and also not on the list. Firstly, they created their investor fortunes in previous decades as well. But in their cases, they remained as leaders who moved into the D&E world. Microsoft
has become totally Locked-in to its Gates-era Success Formula, and
under Steve Ballmer the company has done nothing for investors,
employees -- or even customers. And Berkshire Hathaway has spent the last decade providing very little return to shareholders,
despite all the great press for Mr. Buffett and his success in previous
eras. Each year Mr. Buffett tells investors that what worked for him
in previous years doesn't work any more, and they should not expect
previous high rates of return. And he keeps proving himself right.
Until both Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway undertake significant
Disruptions and implement considerably more White Space we should not
expect much for investors.
This has been a tough decade for far too many investors and employees.
As we end the year, the list of television programs bemoaning how badly
the decade has gone is long. Show after show laments the poor
performance of the stock market, as well as employers. We end the year
with official unemployment north of 10%, and unofficial unemployment
some say near 20%. But what this HBR report us is that it is possible to have a good decade. We need leaders who are willing to look
to the future for their planning (not the past), obsess about
competitors to discover market shifts, be willing to Disrupt old
Success Formulas by attacking Lock-in, and using White Space to keep
the company in the growth Rapids. When businesses overcome
old notions of "best practice" that keeps them trying to Defend &
Extend then business performs marvelously well. It's just too bad so
few leaders and companies are willing to follow The Phoenix Principle.
For this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast, I grabbed a few minutes with Tim Ferriss, author of the newly released – The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated.
The expanded edition features over 100 pages of case studies and
anecdotes taken from people that embraced Tim’s Lifestyle Design theme
and put it into action in their lives over the last few years.
Tim’s book was a surprise run away best seller when first released
and landed him in the spotlight for those who garnered hope from his
positive message of work less and live more. However, his message also
created a camp of doubters that likely felt the message was
unrealistic. I find it ironic that Amazon has his book selling in
tandem with Gary Vs CrushIT message of work 80 hours a week until your eyes bleed.
I’ve always felt that Tim’s detractors fall somewhere in one of the
camps of resenting his books sales, resenting his go get em sales
tactics, or misunderstand the core message of the book. I wrote a post
long ago called The Four Daughter Workweek that takes what I think is the message of this work and makes it relevant for me.
Hey, putting yourself out there as the 4-Hour Workweek guy is always
going to have people questioning, it’s like saying your holy or the
world’s best parent -if you do, your kids sure better behave in public Either way, hope you enjoy our conversation and I welcome your thoughts.
In
2009 the web as we knew it changed dramatically. Twitter graduated to
become a media darling and a mainstream communication staple. Facebook
became the most significant social network of this day and age. And
Google changed the way we search.
When historians look back on 2009, they’ll be forced to acknowledge Google’s ()
role in shaping the future of how we search, how we browse, how we
communicate, how enterprises store information, and how the population
at large has adapted to a web-rich mobile environment centered around
applications.
Here’s a look back at Google’s big releases, major accomplishments, and a few faux pas in 2009.
Google in 2009: The Timeline
The Evolution of Search
Google started the year with 63.5% market share in the search space (source: comScore January 2009 data),
with a commanding lead over its closest competitors Yahoo (20.5%) and
Microsoft (8.3%). Facing competition from Microsoft’s overly-promoted
new search entity, Bing (), and the recently finalized acquisition of Yahoo! Search, Google spent 2009 modifying and enhancing the search experience like never before.
We first saw slight tweaks
made to the search experience in March, with support for longer queries
and related searches getting a semantic makeover. Then in April, Google
search became more intelligent in relation to local search results,
using your IP address to display multiple results to simple queries
like “food” on a map. Of course, the bigger play here is to highlight
local businesses, as Google would later make a not-so-subtle move to
replicate Yelp () with Place Pages and encourage vendors to display decals with QR codes.
The social possibilities of search results became apparent when Google Profiles were added to search results for people queries. While insignificant when compared against the future release of Google Social Search,
this was a carefully crafted maneuver to encourage Googlers to complete
their profiles for more search relevance. Identity in search came full
circle when the Google Labs ()
experiment, Social Search, added relevant results based on content
shared by friends associated with the social networks in your Google
Profile.
Google Music Search
made its debut late in October and offered up yet another new addition
to the search experience: streaming audio previews for artist, album,
song, and lyric searches powered by MySpace () and Lala. The deal has major implications
and could disrupt iTunes digital music market share, position Google as
this generation’s billboard, and even make MySpace relevant again.
Of course, the search experience has forever been altered with the addition of real-time search. The initial announcement was made immediately after Bing touted their Twitter ()
integration in October, but the rollout didn’t arrive until early
December. We were all blown away by the fact that search results
automatically update with fresh content from Twitter, Facebook Pages,
MySpace, Yahoo! Answers and news articles in a real-time box on
standard search results pages.
Though Google only made marginal gains in the search sector this year, finishing November with 65.6% share
to Yahoo’s 17.5% and Microsoft’s 10.3, what’s important is that they
continue to have a commanding lead and are clearly focused on improving
the search experience into 2010, especially as it pertains to speed.
Unfortunately removing the Beta tag did not guarantee up-time, as Gmail sufferedseveral debilitating outages over the course of the year, casting doubt on the notion that cloud-based apps have become more reliable.
Going Google for Business
Google spent much of 2009 attempting to attract enterprise customers
for the Google Apps suite of products. The company even went so far as
to place billboards in New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, targeting IT professionals and encouraging them to make the switch.
The campaign ultimately proved successful with two notable new customers: the City of Los Angeles and the US Government.
The LA deal was announced in October, completed in December, and
included a $7.2 million price tag. As for the US Government, they
officially started pushing agencies to switch to Google Apps in
September, with the White House launching Apps.gov to serve as a
directory of cloud-based IT services.
Google Goes on a Spending Spree
To say that Google whipped out their credit card this year is quite
the understatement. The search giant focused on acquisitions and
investments to not only enhance their bread-and-butter search offering
but to also solidify themselves as leaders in other territories.
The spending spree didn’t start until August of 2009, but once Google purchased On2 Technologies, a video compression company, for $106.5 million, they just kept on spending. The following month they acquired reCAPTCHA to apply the technology to improve Google Books. That purchase was followed by the yet-to-be-finalized AdMob
acquisition for $750 million. The mobile ad network represents a huge
opportunity for Google in the mobile advertising arena, but the deal is
facing scrutiny from the FTC and consumer advocate groups who see the
deal as anti-competitive in nature.
Most recently we’ve seen Google snatch up Teracent and AppJet. The later was primarily a talent acquisition, with plans to transition the engineers of EtherPad (),
a collaborative word processor, to Google’s Wave product development
team. The former was motivated by Teracent’s impressive technology
around targeted display advertising. Teracent can optimize ads in
real-time to match a visitor’s location, language, and even adapt to
the content on a website.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Google did not acquire Twitter this
year. The two companies have developed a synergy around real-time
search, with Bloomberg speculating that that the Twitter deal cost Google $15 million.
Chrome Blossoms
September was the one year anniversary
of Google’s Chrome browser. Introduced in 2008, the browser began with
a big name but lackluster feature set. All that changed in 2009, as
incremental updates helped make Chrome () competitive with Firefox () and Safari ().
Chrome version 3 introduced support for HTML5, promised a much faster experience, themes, and an enhanced Chrome Tab page. In December, Mac and Linux users were finally gifted with their own version of Chrome, though the newly released Chrome Extensions Beta is still Windows-only.
Perhaps even more significant than the improvements to Chrome, the
browser, was the announcement that Google had also turned Chrome into
an operating system.
Google Chrome OS
is based off of the browser, open source, and slated to run on netbooks
in 2010. In November, we were able to get up close and personal —
thanks to new photos and video provided by Google — with Chrome, the
100% web-based operating system. We also learned that the browser is the OS, security is a priority, all apps are web apps, Chrome only works on netbooks, and it boots in seconds.
Mobile Maneuvers
Android () skyrocketed to mobile operating system fame
this year, with dozens of devices toting Google on the inside in the
hopes of competing with Apple’s iPhone. While the OS currently only
accounts for 3.5% of the whole market, it’s fast gaining ground and
becoming a recognizable platform among consumers.
The king of all Android phones was none other than the heavily advertised — and TIME’s gadget of the year — Motorola Droid. And while sales have been impressive, rumors of Google’s own phone, the Nexus One, surfaced just a few weeks later.
The HTC device most certainly exists, and reports assert it will be sold by Google, with support from T-Mobile,
as soon as January 5th. A real Google phone is bound to resonate with
consumers, but the device could also splinter the Android market,
creating angst between Google and manufactures and carriers selling
Android-powered devices.
Wave Goodbye to 2009, Hello to the Future
A post on Google in 2009 would not be complete without paying proper attention to Google’s newest game-changing product: Google Wave ().
The May announcement brought instant fanfare from the entire
blogosphere, creating an immediate demand for a product that only a
small group of individuals had ever seen. As the September rollout
date fast-approached, hype and anticipation hit an all time high. But
as more and more individuals started receiving their invitations (that
number is now upwards of one million), anticipation was met with confusion.
While we’ve already seen the platform used for spectacular
and inspiring real-time collaboration purposes, the average person
still struggles with how best to leverage the new communication medium.
Of course it didn’t help that Wave was — and still is — every bit a
preview version not ready for prime time. Some initial flaws, like the
absence of undo, have since been corrected, but as it stands, Google
Wave is a product with potential that is only being realized by a small
minority.
I had to post this article as a reminder that madmen is coming back soon. Woohoo! And the advice is so Don. Can you tell I'm having Madmen withdrawals.
Lately, when confronted with a business issue, I find myself asking one question:
“What would Don do?”
Don of course, is Don Draper. The erstwhile creative director for Sterling Cooper in the fictional world of Mad Men, Draper,
albeit a personal mess, is also something of a business genius. Now,
maybe I ask this question because like many people, I am going through Mad Men withdrawals right about now, but I don’t think so.
I think Don has something to teach us about business.
1. When in doubt, schmooze:
Don is a world-class schmoozer, and in this day and age of
e-communication, when you can work with someone for years and never
actually meet them in person, the art of the schmooze is something to
remember.
What
is schmoozing, really? It’s about creating rapport. Sometimes, you need
to put down the ‘ol keyboard, back away, and pick up the phone. Or make
a lunch date. Or meet for drinks after work. Or hop on a plane and meet
in person.
The
point is, as Don knows, there are times in business when it is not
about the money, it’s about the ego. It’s about feelings. It’s about
being appreciated. And when those are the issues, no
amount of tweets or e-mails will fix the problem, but a good
face-to-face meeting and a hearty laugh just might.
2. Creativity can trump efficiency. In
the world of Sterling Cooper (before Don and gang flew the coop), there
were no shortage of capable people, but Don Draper was the star. Why?
Because he was more creative than the rest, and creativity can yield
unexpected results.
Is
the same not true in your business? One mistake small business owners
make too often is that they get comfortable – they know what they know
and they do what they do and they get predictable results.
That is all well and good, but if you want to take it to the next level, you simply have to mix it up. You need to try
·A new marketing campaign, or
·A new product, or
·A new strategy
Whatever
the case, don’t lose sight of the fact that it is the creative idea,
the unexpected idea, the twist, that can often yield the best results.
3. Risks bring rewards: Don
Draper is not a wild risk taker (in his professional life at least) but
he is a risk taker. Don seems to live the motto “no risk, no reward.”
So whether it is adapting to the new world of television ads or
chucking the corner office to start his own agency with Sterling and
Cooper, Don knows that risk is part of the game.
And
again, it is the smart, prudent risk that can make the difference.
Swinging for the fences when you have a mature company is not a great
idea; there is too much to lose. But a savvy risk is the sort of play
that can create significant results.
4. Reward loyalty:
Great business people know that loyal soldiers are not yes men, rather,
they tend to be honest, hard-working, ambitious, truth telling diligent
employees. Those are qualities that should not be taken for granted. If
you have a great employee, a Peggy Olson as it were, take care of them
and they will take care of you.
5. Have fun: Whatever
else you want to say about Don Draper, there is no doubt he enjoys his
work. That’s a good reminder. It is so easy to get caught up in the day
to day machinations of your business – in e-mail and phone calls and
bills and presentations – that you can forget why you started down this
entrepreneurial path in the first place. One reason is that it is fun.
You didn’t think we’d close out the year without a “Best of 2009” post, did you? Well, you’re not getting off that easy.
Here’s the best Copyblogger content of the year, based on your
enthusiasm via comments, links, retweets, and gratuitous offerings of
produce-based holiday deserts. We thank you all for your continued
support (even though we threw out the fruitcake, sorry).
Let’s get started.
The First Rule of Copyblogger – It’s a wonderful thing to wake up one morning, check the blog, and see that your Senior Editor has made a Fight Club
reference that also establishes the underlying theme of the entire
publication. Her name is Sonia Simone, her name is Sonia Simone
5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter – Want traffic from Twitter? Read this post. Want the most possible traffic from Twitter? Post about Twitter.
How Twitter Makes You A Better Writer
– In the most counterintuitive post of the year, Jennifer Blanchard
makes the case that being confined to 140 characters improves your
writing skills. Coming in 2010 – How Beer Makes You a Better Driver.
The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines
– Twitter reinforces the single most important component to attracting
online attention — the headline. Well, that and fake celebrity deaths.
Better to stick with the headline skills.
10 Secrets to More Magnetic Copy
– First-time guest writer Jason Cohen knocks it out of the park with
these quick and witty copy tips. He also forces us to retire magnetism
metaphors indefinitely.
How to Turn Affiliate Marketing Disclosure Into a Selling Point
– Everyone seemed surprised that the FTC said compensation disclosure
laws apply to bloggers and social media just like other forms of media.
I could say I told you so back in 2006, but I won’t. Even though I did.
Not that I’d mention that.
The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine
– All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating, but you could do worse.
Sean Platt lays down what Marshall Mathers III can teach you about
taking your online game to the next level (without getting picketed).
The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing
– Did you notice all the “make money quick and easy with social media”
hucksters that slithered out from under a rock (and then disappeared
just as quickly) in 2009? This one’s for those guys, and anyone who
considered following their lame advice.
How to Write With a Knife
– Check out this post if you want to improve one of the most important
aspects of any type of writing — tight editing. Or if you want to see a
cool picture of a blonde with a samurai sword. Whichever.
Since When Are Blogs Not Social Media?
– Social networking went mainstream in 2009, prompting some who hopped
on board in late 2008 to say they were giving up social media for
blogging. What?
Blogging is Dead (Again)
– The “blogging is dead” meme comes up at least once a year, but I only
feel the need to respond every other year. I feel the same way about
voice mail.
The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging – Sonia reveals the seven sins that will cause you to fail online faster than hiring Robert Scoble.
Is Commenting on Blogs a Smart Traffic Strategy?
– This was a rant in disguise after I’d had enough watching the
less-than-smart strategies of some bloggers who left comments.
Ironically, the post got 270 comments (and counting), but lame comments
on Copyblogger subsequently decreased by 270% (or something).
Why You’re Too Qualified and Respectful to Produce Great Content – This post is an absolute must read for everyone,
unless of course you already know you should write assertively, or if
you’re busy doing something else, or just don’t feel like it. Maybe
later.
Seven Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School
– Sonia and I would have liked to qualify this post a bit, but I’d like
to see you try that with Jon Morrow when he’s got a head of steam. So,
a few English teachers got a bit upset, but we placated them with
bouquets of gerunds.
Why Content is No Longer King (And Who’s Taking His Place)
– The content marketing revolution demonstrates that mere content is no
longer king, and this post tells you who’s taking over. No, it’s not
Elvis, nor is it a prime minister appointed by the Queen as Lord of
Parliament and majority leader of the House of Commons.
The #1 Conversion Killer in Your Copy (And How to Beat It)
– What do trolls, sea monkeys, shady carnival barkers and chronic
halitosis have to do with online conversion? And what was Tiger Woods
thinking? (Tiger’s not in the post, I just really want to know).
9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy
– Dean Rieck resurrects an old Copyblogger standard with these insanely
effective headline templates. But please go sell crazy someplace else .
. . we’re all stocked up here.
Why You Can’t Make Money Blogging
– Poor Fake Steve Jobs discovers he’s better suited for day jobs. Read
this post to learn why “I want to make money on the Internet” is not a
business model.
Is Your Tribe Holding You Down?
– The post that defined the Third Tribe was inspired by a challenging
email from Seth Godin and our refusal to switch to decaf. What does it
all mean? You’ll see in early 2010.
Jen Miller wrote here on OPEN Forum about five books for business owners.
Hers was a pretty good list, and it encouraged me to share another list
– a list chosen by a group of entrepreneurs and business owners.
Last month we asked readers of Small Business Trends
to make their choices for best new business book releases of 2009 for
small business owners. In other words, we asked entrepreneurs and
small businesspeople to choose a list of books they recommend for their
peers, for 2009.
Forty-seven
books were nominated initially, and nearly 4,000 votes were cast in
online balloting. Based on the voting, the list was narrowed down to
10 books.
Here are the 10 books named to the reader’s choice small-business book list (in alphabetical order):
Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas Into Action(by John Spence) –
This book helps you cut through the clutter as a business owner by
focusing on isolated 6 strategies: Vivid Vision, Best People, A
Performance-Oriented Culture, Robust Communication, A Sense of Urgency,
and Extreme Customer Focus.
BAM: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World (by
Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead) -- “BAM” which is short for “bust
a myth” debunks 20 myths about customer service - from “The customer is
always right” to “Companies achieve customer service by under-promising
and over-delivering.” Bonus features: a "customer value calculation"
and a list of customer satisfaction questions for conducting customer
surveys.
Career Renegade (byJonathan
Fields) – Fields, a Wall Street attorney turned entrepreneur, offers
motivational and practical advice to pursue your passions. If you've
ever felt drained and devalued through employment, the book helps you
translate your passion into a viable, profitable business. Inspiring
case studies prove you CAN do it.
The Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing (by
Eric Groves) – This book gives you best practices for email marketing.
Don’t let the focus on Constant Contact fool you.There’s a lot here for
small businesses interested in email marketing, no matter which email
provider you use. Example features: how to build an email list and how
to create compelling content.
Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion(by Gary Vaynerchuk) --
Online marketing phenomenon Vaynerchuk focuses on how to use social
media and online marketing to grow a business. The book draws on his
own experiences expanding his family's liquor store using techniques
such as a video blog. Those who are fans of the author (he has a very
large online following) will adore this book.
Escape from Cubicle Nation (by
Pamela Slim) – Slim offers a road map for getting yourself out of that
corporate cubicle and into your own startup. You have so much to
consider when making the leap from corporate life to your own business
– from managing your own mental state, to dealing with family
objections, to finding health insurance. All of these issues are
addressed … and much more.
Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (byRichard Herman and Robert Smith) –
This book challenges you to think like an immigrant when it comes to
entrepreneurship. The book notes that immigrants are twice as likely
to launch a business as non-immigrants, and are behind half of the
high-tech startups in Silicon Valley.
The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web (by Tamar Weinberg) –
The author is a veteran of the online world and social media. In this
book she shows you how to use dozens of social sites to market your
business – from well-known sites such as Twitter, to niche sites like
Kirtsy.
The Sassy Ladies Toolkit for Startup Businesses (byMichelle Girasole, Wendy Hanson and Miriam Perry) –
The 3 women-entrepreneur authors have written a book that is part
reference guide and part workbook. It takes you step-by-step through
starting your business, including practical advice for startups,
inspiring stories about women entrepreneurs, and a dash of humor.
Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust (by
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith) -- The term "Trust Agents" refers to
digitally savvy people who are adept at using the Web to humanize a
business through developing relationships. This book shows you how to
develop relationships with trust agents, and how to become one.
* * * * *
To
be eligible, books had to be (1) relevant to small business personnel;
and (2) newly released during 2009. That excluded older business
classics, no matter how good they are! It also excluded books that
focus primarily on “big business,” economics or Wall Street/investing –
as those topics would not be as much practical help to the entrepreneur
faced with starting or operating a small business.
Most
books targeting small business owners and entrepreneurs are written by,
well … entrepreneurs and small business owners. So not only was this
list chosen by business owners for
other business owners -- but it also served to recognize those in the
small biz community who willingly shared their expertise by writing
books for their peers.
All
of the above books can be purchased online or found/special-ordered at
your local bookseller (print out this article and take it with you!).
Now it’s your turn: which books would you put on your list for 2009? And why? Share your choice in the comments below.
* * * * *
Anita Campbell is the Editor in Chief of Small Business Trends, an online community of small business owners.
The numbers show that companies will invest more resources into social media
in 2010 as a way to market themselves and find new customers. And that
trend won’t exclude small business owners. SMB owners who have
previously ignored the medium completely will find themselves entering
the fold. And those with history in social media will be looking for
new ways to increase value.
With that in mind, below are some lessons that I’ve picked up to
help small- and medium-sized business owners navigate and get more from
the social media waters.
Don’t go in thinking about ROI: The Internet has
always been about accountability. It gives business owners the ability
to use tools to track everything from conversions to clicks to eyeballs
and even patterns of behavior. And you can track social media ROI the
very same way. However, don’t jump in focused only on the numbers. Give
social media time to prove itself before you start obsessively
refreshing your analytics. Even the most basic social media goals
(build brand awareness, increase traffic, etc) will take a bit of time
to develop. If you go in eyes staring at the numbers before you even
developed a following or community you’re going to be disappointed.
However, the ROI is there and the average social media campaign needs at least two months to show measurable results.
Focus on the actions that matter: It’s really easy to get lost in the quest to increase Twitter followers, build blog subscribers
and get everyone and their brother to become friends with your Facebook
Fan page. But what are those numbers getting you? If it’s not people
who are engaged with your company and folks who want to interact with
you, then you’re chasing numbers that don’t matter. Instead, focus on
the actions that will provide these things naturally, but also add
value to your community. Concentrate on creating great content, on
helping others find resources located on different sites, on forming
connections by reaching out to people, and by listening more than you
speak. If you take the proper steps now, the right kind of followers
will come later.
Schedule time for it: You have a business to run.
You can’t spend your entire day in social media. I get that and so does
your community. However, do make a point to schedule in time when you
can interact so that customers can trust your presence on certain
sites. Put yourself on a plan for engaging. For example, perhaps you
know that in a week you want to write two blog posts, spend 45 minutes
commenting on community blogs, three hours on Twitter reaching out, and
an hour on Facebook responding to wall messages. Schedule that into
your week so that you know it’s going to get done. Make Monday your
blog writing day or Tuesday the day you do the bulk of your Twittering.
Planning for social media is really important and makes it far more
manageable.
Seek out local prospects: We’re always talking
about how big brands are using social media that we often forget how
effective social media is for targeting the people in your own
backyard. For example, Advanced Twitter Search will allow you to find the conversations based on location. Twellow and Twitter Grader
allow you to find people in your area who share your interests. This is
where social media becomes powerful – when it intersects with local.
Seek out these opportunities to find real customers who are talking
about or show a need for what your business does. If you’re a caterer
and someone’s talking about their wedding, hop into that conversation
(as a friend, not a business) and offer to help. If you’re a local
mechanic, find people talking about their bad brakes or the car
troubles they’re having and chime in. The opportunities to connect
locally through social media are there if you’re listening for them.
Start.
Look outside Twitter the box:
2009 was Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. And there’s good reason for that –
lots of people are on Twitter, but that doesn’t mean your customers
are. Reevaluate where your customers are hanging out this year. Are
they on Twitter? Or are they hanging out elsewhere? For example, if
you’re a local wedding planner, you may find that you get a lot more
value creating a Flickr group to promote photos of the weddings you’ve
shot or the area you live in. Chances are people looking for wedding
vendors are searching for pictures and living resumes. Flickr gives you
that in a way Twitter does not. Plus, by titling your photographs with
the correct keywords, you give yourself a chance to show up in the
SERPs when potential customers perform local queries. That’s value.
Learn from those before you: Whether it’s Frank Eliason from Comcast, Joe from the deli across the street or a teacher like Chris Brogan,
seek out people who are doing social media well and watch what they’re
doing. See how they’re talking to people, what actions they’re taking,
how often they’re engaging, how they’re able to take online connections
into the real world, etc. We’ve seen enough social media success
stories that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to see
what works and find a way to make it work for your company, as well.
Take it offline: My social Web moment of 2009
was about taking the personal relationships I’ve made online, off. Your
business should look to do the same in 2010. Hold Tweetups to give your
Twitter followers a way to meet one another in real life. Create an
in-store event through Facebook to let people see you in your element
and use mobile coupons.
Create focus groups of your online fans to help with new product
reviews or usability testing. The people engaging with you online want
to become part of your brand. Help them to do that in real life.
Those are some ways I think SMB owners can get more out of social media in the coming year. What will you be doing?
This
past year brands large and small rushed head on into social media
marketing. They had to learn about all things Twitter, hire social
media consultants and create special social media metrics and budgets.
Now that hype surrounding the next new thing has settled a bit,
businesses are coming around to the understanding that social media
isn’t a department or separate marketing tactic. In fact, It’s not so
much a tool as it is a behavior. And as such it can and should permeate
the whole of the business.
Trapping social media engagement in the marketing department and
demanding a tradition ROI measurement structure is a mistake. Social
media activity and behavior can help facilitate communication and
connection with your entire collaboration universe: prospects,
customers, suppliers, partners, and employees and as such should be
freed from the limited thinking. I’m not saying you shouldn’t demand a
return on anything you do, but I am suggesting that you explode the
notion of social media as one segment of one department.
My guess is the most successful small business will simply become more naturally social.
Here are few ways social media behavior is applied throughout.
Hiring – LinkedIn
is the one the leading tools used by organizations these days to find
job candidates. Scanning social media participation of prospective
hires is a great way to access their social skills and (one of my new
favorite terms thanks to Tara Hunt @missrogue) wuffie factor – a bit of a social media graph that can demonstrate what one values.
Training – Using social bookmarking tools like delicious or Instapaper
you can easily create reading lists of information your entire team,
customers in various industry segments or strategic partners should
read to learn and grow.
Awareness – Social media has become a tremendous
lead generation tool when used as a way to create awareness about
valuable, education based content. Facebook Ads, for example are a great tool to employ to point out your upcoming webinars.
Public Relations – One of the best ways to achieve
media coverage these days is to build relationships with journalists
using social media tools. Most every journalist has a blog, leave
comments and participate in their conversation. Create a Twitter List of key journalists for your industry. Create Google Alerts for those same journalists and start building relationships – that’s how you get covered
Referrals – Giving and receiving referrals was, is
and remains the first and ultimate social behavior. Making a referral
publicly, in a forum like Biznik,
is a great way to demonstrate your belief in the power of giving.
Reading and leaving ratings and reviews on sites like Yelp! is another
great way to start the referral machine.
Strategic Partners – Finding strategic partners to
work on projects or simply share the work of marketing to a target
group is a great strategy empowered through social media tools. You can
easily find businesses to connect with through networks like OpenForum or LinkedIn and then use a tool like MeetUp to co-host an event. (Disclosure: I am a contributor to OpenForum.)
Internal News – Using a tool like Yammer, Posterous, or even well formed hashtags on Twitter
is a great way to communicate with a team and highlight content that
should be seen by that team. Setting up RSS feeds and alerts for brand,
industry and competitive mentions is another simple way to make sure
everyone knows what’s going on and being said.
Lead Conversion – Adding a customer or prospect’s social activity to a CRM record through tools such as ACT! 2010 or Batchbook
is a great way to discover the wants, needs, interests and challenges
they face. Carefully reviewing that information can lead to ways to
deepen relationships and even uncover unmet needs. It’s funny how often
we sell something our existing customers are asking for but didn’t we
had!
Customer Service – Countless organizations have
turned to Twitter as way a to communicate with customers in need of
some help. I think the serving of customers in public offers a
wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how well you take care of
business.
Research – I get great information every time I ask a question on LinkedIn or put up a quick Involver application
poll on Facebook. The speed of this kind of research and the
conversations that can erupt offer incredible opportunities to learn
and connect.
Inspiration – This one can be hard for some get
their head around, but I can’t tell you how ofter I’ve turned to my RSS
reader to find inspiration for an idea, content, and even just as a way
to regain my focus. In fact here’s my list of 10 places (mostly social) I turn to for content inspiration.
SEO – In case you haven’t heard, social media and SEO are pretty much hitched. Simply building profiles in communities such as TED or BusinessWeek Exchange can help you claim search real estate and provide those valuable links back to your primary web site.
Testing – I’ve seen authors test book titles,
businesses test pricing and logo designs, and professionals test
various service offerings in Facebook and Twitter. The immediate and
often quite informed feedback of a carefully built social network is an
extremely useful tool.
Sourcing – Has anyone used XYZ software? I need a
good WordPress designer. These kinds of requests go out all day long in
social networks and have become one of the primary ways I make buying
decision and hire professionals for projects.
Help Desk – Social network communities can provide
incredible amounts of help for the most specific kinds of challenges.
Let’s say you can’t make a computer network connect. One tweet can
provide the answer. Let’s say you need some Photoshop tips, a quick
trip to the Behance Network will likely turn up dozens of design software resources.
Brainstorming – When I’m wrestling with an idea for
an article, book or strategy I’ll often put some form of the idea out
for discussion on Twitter and engage some really smart people who
follow me in discussions that can lead to some pretty interesting
validation or other conclusions. It’s a fascinating process. Of course
you can also create public Mindmeister mind maps and draw in even more brainstorming collaboration with employees, customers and partners.
What ways have you found to apply social behavior to your organization?
Either way, hope you enjoy our conversation and I welcome your thoughts.
