In recent weeks I’ve heard from a range of clients and colleagues (and family and friends),
“What should I do to get value from social media?”
“I don’t get this Twitter thing.”
“I have some connections on LinkedIn but don’t do much with it.”
Etc.
Think of it this way.
How do you meet people today? Introductions from your existing network [...]

Some readers may feel that the next two statements contradict each other.
1. Let people say what they’re going to say to you.
2. Don’t just cede the conversation to whoever walks by.
I would argue that grassroots feedback loops (including most social media conversations) entail doing both.
Leading involves listening, following, knowing when it is not your turn [...]

Pretty marketing:
…Does all the things it’s supposed to do.
…Is entirely unobjectionable.
…Often passes extensive legal and functional reviews with flying colors.
…Probably follows the brand standards and logo usage guidelines pretty well.
…May be professionally produced.
…Looks great.
Unfortunately, it also sounds just like everyone else in our space. Maybe it doesn’t even clearly state what the company does.
Gritty [...]

OK, take this for what it is: a collection of opinions posted in a public forum not custom-tailored for your situation. (And those opinions formed while observing lots of organizations, conferences, events, grassroots movements, etc, which may not be yours.)
But here’s the thing. Most sponsorship benefits aren’t very meaningful to a business.
Really. Let’s be honest. [...]

One of the paradoxes of marketing and sales is “monetizing relationships.”
We typically hate to be sold. The harder the sell, the more we hate it. However, we typically like to buy. Any person who has had an experience of spending their own money knows this. Many of us have been blessed to be able to [...]

Confession: I am a recovering Bloggerholic.
Thanks to Hubspot for this post which made me feel sufficient SEO-guilt to go ahead and make the switch.
Henceforth I shall set a better example.
In addition to the SEO benefits, Wordpress is also rife with useful plugins. These make it incredibly powerful, though not quick to set up. [...]

The post:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/first-ten-.html
The B2B sale is a relationship sale. What Seth describes is selling into referrals. This is the way most businesses actually grow. Better than 70% of sales come from or through existing customers in many companies and industries.
To scale up in that sales environment, it makes sense to apply a process mentality to figure [...]

Tip: for marketing inspiration, read up on common traps in investment management psychology and behavioral finance. The same emotional wiring kicks in just about any time people buy stuff.
A quick example from both the Miller Heiman world of sales training and the Warren Buffett world of investment management:
Emotional capital.
Just like monetary capital, emotional capital is [...]