Successful Blog

Social Media Book List: Scrappy General Management and Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing

by

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors by managing their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; one author I am currently working with ‘Scrappy General Management’ by Michael Horton and one book on the social media Amazon list ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’ by Idil M. Cakim.

The books I discuss in the Social Media Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Scrappy General Management: Common Sense Practices to Avoid Calamities, Catastrophies, and Lackluster Results’

by Michael Horton

scrappygeneralmanagment-mid

I would first like to share with you an excerpt from the Author’s Note ( I believe it is very telling and reflects the point of the book).

So why this book? When I started in the GM role, I had little idea ofwhat a GM was meant to do. The title does give you a good hint as to what’s required; kind of like General Electric tells you the company has something to do with electricity. But one thing’s for sure, I couldn’t ask my boss, as I’d just spent a good deal of time convincing him that I knew what I was doing so that I could get the job.

While there is a plethora of literature on the different aspects of leadership, management, and marketing, it is rarely brought together in a useful form. A wise person once said, “There is no such thing as coincidence.” If something works once, and you understand the how’s and why’s, there’s a damn good chance you can get it to work again. And if the concept also happens by some stroke of luck to agree with some sort of academic theory, then by classic triangulation you have something that perhaps is worth documenting.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in good times or bad, at the end of the day solid, common-sense management practice will serve you and your team well and allow you to achieve the results that you deserve. So enjoy the book, and I hope it helps you avoid calamities and produce results that are far from “lackluster.”

“Practical advice from a leader who has ‘been there!’ What is better than learning from experience? Learning from someone else’s experience—get Scrappy!”
–Marshall Goldsmith, Author of The New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

About the Book*:

Ok, you’re the boss now, not of a section, or the team of a particular function — but of the whole shooting match, end to end. You are the business’s general manager and the staff looks to you for their livelihoods (yes you). So you have to strategize, sell, supply and service, collect the cash, provision, train and motivate your people, delight your clients and at the end of the day, return a profit to the business owners. So where the hell do you start? How do you know that you’re not neglecting any aspect that will bite you on the bum later?

Don’t stress, it’s not all that hard and it can be an extremely enjoyable and rewarding process. This book will provide you with the 7 common sense and repeatable steps that will guide you through running a business that everyone will be proud to be associated with.

The intended reader is someone moving up from middle management — or running their own business. The book is aimed to provide an easy to follow road map that will give some comfort and order amid the chaos of information and expectations…Helping with the ‘what do I do next?’ question that no-one wants to ask for the fear of appearing that they’re not up to it.

About Michael*:

Michael Horton is Vice President for the Australian Chemical, Energy, and Natural Resources division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), with responsibility for annual revenues of $360 million and a matrix responsibility for 2,000 people. Michael has 28 years experience in the Information Technology Industry, 21 years of that in a management capacity and has been employed at CSC since 1994. During his time at CSC, he has held senior management positions in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Since 2000 he has also completed challenging assignments based in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Maidstone in the UK and San Diego, USA.

Michael holds an Associate Diploma in Applied Science from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, a Master of IT Management from Charles Sturt University in New South Wales and is Project Management Institute (PMI) certified. He is married, with two teenage children and enjoys surfing, sailing and holidaying at every opportunity.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Scrappy about General Management: Common Sense Practices to Avoid Calamities, Catastrophes and Lackluster Results’ online on the publisher site, Happy About or on Amazon.*I did receive a copy of this book from the publisher to help in the promotion of the book

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the social media list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’.

Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing: Online Strategies to Identify Influencers, Craft Stories, and Draw Customers

by Idil M. Cakim

“Cakim gets it—and always has! Great word of mouth starts with basics like product quality and customer service. Her book is a treasure trove of ‘get started now’ suggestions on how to better serve consumers, and their most genuine, authentic, and meaningful stories.”
—Pete Blackshaw, Executive Vice President, Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen Online

About the Book*

Learn to capitalize on online word of mouth, leverage its power, and measure results of your initiatives

Savvy, strategic, and right on time, Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing is the essential guide for any company or organization needing to understand the dynamics of online word of mouth. This powerful book will coach you to identify your own set of online influencers, craft the stories that will resonate with your consumers, and spread messages through cybercitizens who are social media experts.

* Guides you to identify and engage your online influencers to manage your reputation, promote your brands, and sell your products
* Reveals how word of mouth disperses online
* Explores strategies for your organization to engage its online advocates, tap into networks, and to mobilize the masses
* Explains how to design online word of mouth campaigns
* Includes measurement tools to gauge the impact word of mouth campaigns

Filled with case studies, research, and check lists, this invaluable guide will definitively show you how to leverage the power of online advocates to pass along stories, deliver recommendations, and draw people to purchasing points.

About Idil M. Cakim*:

Idil M. Cakim is Vice President of Inter-active Media at GolinHarris, a global public relations firm. She served on the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, whose members include Dell, Microsoft, Hilton, Amway Global, and the AARP. She regularly publishes articles in business magazines and trade publications on social media and word- of-mouth strategies and has been quoted as an expert in online communications in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, CNet News, the Chicago Tribune, and other media.

*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing’ on Amazon.

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

Bid Farewell To Bad Blogging: Edit!

by

cooltext455576688_blogging

By Jael Strong

The bigest miss take a bloggger kan make is flail to edit there riting..  Oh, I hate it when I see something that I really want to read and half way through I have to stop because the mistakes are inexcusable.  I’m not talking about the occasional typo (Though, those are definitely avoidable!).  I’m talking about a decent piece of writing peppered with spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors galore.  What can a writer do to avoid this terrible downfall?

First Step: Spell Check

A simple step that may ultimately save you some time is to use that handy dandy spell checker.  It won’t catch everything, but it will identify some of the most obvious mistakes.  It is certainly easy enough to use so nobody has an excuse for not clicking that little button. 

However, a warning is in order:  Spell check does not catch everything!  In fact, the spell check program only located four of the eight mistakes in my first sentence. The reason is simple; this is a computer program and it will not identify mistakes that involve the use of the wrong word.  If you get your “their”, “there”, and “they’re” mixed up, don’t expect spell check to help you out.  More is needed.

Second Step: Read

 I’ll be honest with you.  I don’t always enjoy reading my own writing, especially when I have the suspicion that it isn’t quite up to par.  But, we have already noted that the computer isn’t going to catch every mistake.  So, you have to read what you write.  A quick read can spare you some embarrassment.  Another plus, besides catching spelling and grammar errors, is that as I read I tend to revise content, improving on my writing as a whole.

Third Step: Read Backward

 Read backward?  That’s right.  This is actually my favorite editing tool.  Start at the end and, sentence by sentence, read through your writing.  It is amazing how many errors can be found using this technique.  True, you won’t find many spelling errors this way, but you will find incorrect punctuation, runons and fragments using this method. Also, it will be easier to identify ambiguous wording, helping you to revise for the sake of clarity.

Fourth Step: Employ an Extra Set of Eyes

 This one can be a challenge.  After all, where are you going to be able to find someone who is willing to take time out of their busy schedule to help you out?  There are a lot of options.  Find a friend, a relative, or a colleague and say, “Hey, can you take a  look at my latest post?”  Find someone you trust, ask them to tell you if anything needs adjusting, and then edit.  Of course, thank them profusely for their help.

These steps might seem a bit time consuming.  All together though, they take about ten minutes. Unfortunately, editing and proofreading do seem to be something that many bloggers try to do without.  Don’t turn away potential readers by eliminating this vital step.  Edith and keeep reeders coming bak four more!

Help other writers out:  What steps do you take to make sure that your writing is error-proof?

—-
Jael Strong writes for TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility.  She has written both fiction and non-fiction pieces for print and online publications.  She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas .

Thanks, Jael

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

I’m a proud affiliate of

third-tribe-marketingB

Create a Powerful Core Community by Building a Brand Values Baseline – PART 1

by

(Updated in 2020)

10-Point Plan: Build a Brand Values Baseline PART 1

A Decision Model for All

Any time we interact, we have a chance to build and strengthen relationships. When we strengthen relationships with the people who love what we do, we strengthen our business. When we know the values on which those relationships stand, we can identify, attract, and connect with more people like them.

That’s the thinking behind building a brand values baseline.

Whether you’re a corporation or a solopreneur, you can start a power core community by finding 6 to 10 people who support and love what you do and bring them into this exercise.

  • Choose a location that is good for thinking and honors the participants. Think of the place you might take your most valued client or customer group to talk strategy and future relationships.
  • Invite 2 – 8 heroes — people you’ve identified as social stars, training stars, influence stars — to a meeting. The wider diversity of their skills, levels and backgrounds, the richer the experience will be. Also invite a trusted non-participant to record notes.
  • Explain that the room is designated a free conversation zone — that you’ve asked them to join you in a conversation because of their leadership skills and the respect they show for the people who work for the business. Let them know you’re counting learning from them so that the company might grow.
  • Without much talk or fanfare, ask them to reflect on the highest reason they might believe in the work your business does. Allow them time — as long as 10 minutes — to gather their thoughts as individuals. Encourage them to write words and phrases, draw images, or make a mind map of what comes
  • Allow each individual to share his or her thoughts with the group. As they speak, write notes for reference and track words that express values on a flip chart.
  • When the entire group has spoken, review what you heard and confirm that you’ve heard correctly what was said. Add your own thoughts. List your own values words to the flip chart.

Review the list of words, noting the similarities between them and poses these questions.

  • How might we take this list back to entire company to distill it down to no more than five words — a values baseline — that describes the values that drive what we do?
  • Should we distill down now and get their approval?
  • What process might we use to include everyone in this quest?
  • Who does everyone include?
  • How long will that take? What should each of us bring back to this meeting, if reaching a true values baseline is our goal?

As your heroes and champions get more interested in the values that underpin your business, so will the people who look up to them. A single meeting with the heroes and champions who love what you do can bring out the best in your company in less time than a whole team from a huge consulting firm.

Live your values and you’ll attract the people to your brand who value what you do.

How will you / did you find your brand values baseline?

Related
To follow the entire series: Inside-Out Thinking to Building a Solid Business, see the Successful Series Page.

Be Irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Join Us For The #SOBCon Chat: Our Upcoming Schedule

by

#sobcon chatIn August we started the “SOBCon Twitter Chat“.  Because of your great participation and support, and the efforts of our great friends Heidi Thorne and Amber Cleveland, we’ve now made it a regular monthly event. 

If you missed the excellent October chat on blog accessability featuring Glenda Watson Hyatt, author of “I’ll Do It Myself”, click here for the transcript (scroll down to 5PM PST for the start of the chat).

Here’s our chat schedule for the next three months. Mark your calendars and see you in the chat room!
(Note all times are Central)

And remember, the Twitter hashtag for the chats, and all things SOBCon, is:  #sobcon

“How Do You Measure the Success of Your Blog?;” SOBCon Chat, Thursday, November 18, 2010, 12:00–1:00 p.m. CST
For our November chat, Wendy Cholbi will be hosting, and we will be discussing the topic “How Do You Measure the Success of Your Blog?” With the end of the year just around the corner, this is a good time to take stock and plan for 2011. Here are the questions we’ll be addressing:

  1. Does measuring traffic, comments, etc. for your blog matter to you? Why?
  2. What metrics (i.e. Google Analytics, comments, resulting sales, etc.) do you use for your blog?
  3. Has one metric been more helpful than others? Why?
  4. What blog course corrections have you made as a result of metrics?
  5. Have you set any metric goals for your blog?

“Social Media Tools;” SOBCon Chat, Thursday, December 16, 2010, 12:00–1:00 p.m. CST
Shelly Kramer is a 20+ year marketing veteran. She’s a strategist, brand builder, deep thinker, information junkie, communicator extraordinaire, buzz builder and lover of all things related to digital marketing and social media. On December 16, this incredible marketing resource will join us on the monthly SOBCon chat to discuss various tools to use for Social Media, from messaging to measurement. 

“Where Do You Get Inspiration for Your Blog?;” SOBCon Chat, Thursday, January 20, 2011, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST
Get your blog off on the right start for the New Year with our first SOBCon chat of the new year. Our perfectly timed topic will be “Where Do You Get Inspiration for Your Blog?” Share your best strategies and learn some new ones. Here are the questions we’ll be discussing:

  1. What is your #1 source for blog post inspiration?
  2. Do you read other blogs or news feeds for ideas? How many do you follow?
  3. Do you primarily get ideas online or offline?
  4. What tools do you use for your blog idea “brain dump?” Lists, journal, software, etc.
  5. What strategies have you used when you have “blogger’s block?

3 Traits Winning Social Media Teams Bring to the Tools

by

Hard Work Isn’t the Same as Great Work

cooltext443809602_strategy

Pick a passionate team at random people, tell them your vision, and hand them the best materials and power tools. Then ask them to build the new building where you’ll meet your customers. Does that make sense to you?

The passion of random people and the best tools aren’t enough to create a team to build that vision for me or for you. Key to a winning team lies in what those passionate people bring to the tools. For a quality building to be strong, functional, and efficient, the randomness of people who are passionate about building with a passel of fabulous tools won’t build anything useful if they don’t bring something more than passion to the tools.

It’s true in any team endeavor that the tools don’t deliver the great results, the people do.
Great people can build amazing things even with less than the most powerful tools.

3 Traits Winning Social Media Teams Bring to the Tools

A winning social media team is more than people who are passionate about the tools. Look at the teams who are working and you’ll find they have outstanding traits in common that fuel the ways and whys of how they choose and use social media tools.

  1. Brand Identity and Values – The Who — Winning social media teams are anything but random people in a group. Even at the lowest levels, they are leaders who know how to think in service to their customers and as a true ambassador of a brand. This comes as much from who they and from how they’ve been brought into the team. They’re people who share the same values and higher cause of the business and they’ve learned how to their values align with and enhance the core value proposition of the team, the business and the brand.
  2. Purpose and Focus — The What – Winning social media teams have focus on goals that serve those values and that value proposition. They can easily in few words what their purpose and how it fits the higher cause of the business and how it serves a brand and it’s customers. Bringing customers closer and finding meaningful ways to learn from them, serve them, and connect them to other great customers, employees and great resources is what a winning social media team is about. They way they use the tools underscore the vallues and enhance the value proposition.
  3. Bias Toward Action — The When – Winning social media teams pay attention so that they can be there when something needs their personal touch. They respond quickly yet within the values of their brand. Their bias toward action is timed to make things faster and easier for the customers … and all of them see communication as their responsibility — no matter their specific role. They listen, learn, and contribute when the conversation is going on … not hours later after the conversation has moved, changed, or lost it’s audience.

So what about the where AND the how?

You’ll find winning teams choose their tools they use and to be where their customers are and to use the tools their customers already use. In other words …

Winning social medias teams configure their strategy rather than trying to reconfigure their customers.

What qualities drive the winning social media teams you know?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Successful-Blog is a proud affiliate of

third-tribe-marketing