Infographic: Social Influencers

social-influencers

I think too many marketers look at social influence as if it’s some kind of new phenomena. I don’t believe it is. In the early days of television, we used the newscaster or the actor to pitch items to the audience. The three networks owned the audience and there was trust and authority established… so the commercial advertising industry was born. While social media provides a two-way means of communication, social media influencers are still often one-way influencers. They have the audience, though much smaller and niche to the industry … Continue reading

APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur

How to Publish a Book

In preparation for our interview with Guy Kawasaki, I purchased a copy of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book. I’ve read the majority of Guy Kawasaki’s books and have been a fan for quite some time (be sure to tune into the interview for the first time he tweeted to me… funny story!). This book is quite different, though… it’s a detailed step-by-step instruction book on how to self-publish your ebook. Authors Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch begin APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur with the true story on Guy’s … Continue reading

18 Must-Know Inbound Marketing Experts

Inbound Marketing

Colleague Dave Morse of Delta Faucet passed on a congratulations to me today for making a list of 18 Must-Know Inbound Marketing Experts in Marketo’s Whitepaper: Amplify Your Impact: How to Multiply the Effects of Your Inbound Marketing Program. Wow – that’s quite an honor… especially having my name alongside this list of amazingly talented marketers: Michael Brito – Follow @Britopian Paul Gillin – Follow @pgillin Adam Metz – Follow @theMetz Ann Handley – Follow @MarketingProfs C.C. Chapman – Follow @cc_chapman Chris Brogan – Follow @ChrisBrogan Cindy King – Follow … Continue reading

Indy is StartUp Friendly

Douglas Karr, was one of four judges who helped us select the winning team from Startup Indy.  In this interview he talks about why he was involved, and why it makes sense for tech firms to launch a startup here in Indianapolis. Douglas Karr on Judging at StartUp Weekend

Flat-Headed Squirrels and Kamikazes

Squirrel Crossing

This afternoon I interviewed Matt Nettleton. Matt is a professional sales trainer and my personal sales coach here in Indianapolis. The work that he’s accomplished thus far has changed my (negative) attitude on selling and actually honed my marketing skills. Sales is a lot more difficult than it used to be… by the time folks are calling your sales team, they are very well-informed. I believe it’s caused a huge shift in the system where sales is much more difficult than it used to be and is best left to … Continue reading

I Have No Competition

I know that sounds arrogant. I don’t mean it that way. Whenever anyone mentioned competition at a company I worked at, I scoffed. I always have. Someone told me once that it’s impossible to look behind you and still race forward at top speed. I believe fear paralyzes companies. I believe in co-opetition. I’m not advocating ignoring your competition… every company should understand the advantages that they bring to the table. More important than your competitive advantages, though, is whether or not there’s a match between those advantages and the … Continue reading