Archive for January 2010

My Social Media Flame Out

January 11 2010

In the dogfight that was the 2009 bust we didn’t cut marketing spend, but our contribution to a glutton of social media crashed and burned. I failed just when you’d think social media would offer a cheap alternative with perhaps greater results. Not so. Both my writing and my reading waned.

SMS text from Twitter? I cut those from following 25 to 5. Facebook? Rarely. I couldn’t get a status update posted weekly, let along daily or hourly. LinkedIn? My lips were sealed.

But… Somehow I don’t think this signals the death of social media, but a shift in how we think about and use it.

A litany of sources employed by Socialnomics generated a crazy list of reasons why you shouldn’t take your eye off the social media ball. I pulled some of my favorites from this post. Go check out the full list now. Don’t wait. Serious food for thought.

  • By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network
  • % of companies using LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees….80%
  • What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook…
  • 54% = Number of bloggers who post content or tweet daily
  • 24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation because we no longer search for the news, the news finds us.
  • More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook…daily.

I’m awake now. Social media has my attention.

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Year Reviewed, Lessons Learned

January 8 2010

Let’s look back on 2009. I’m kidding.

There’s not much to be gained by looking backward. Lessons learned in 2009 need not be rehashed. The only thing driving the VLG bus today is a super upbeat outlook on 2010 and beyond.

We just had our best quarter in company history (just a glance backwards, not a look). We have a very full sales pipeline. We have a great, I mean it, great client roster right now. We work with some of the best, most creative people on the other end of the phone.

Obviously, we want to take credit where credit is due, but there is something else blowing in the wind, marketing evolution. If there were every a time to try a new approach, a new program, or something non-traditional that time is now. Say no to trade shows and don’t you dare mail a 4-color, trifold mailer to anyone.

As Carnac the Magnificant might say, “Tylenol, Advil, and Trade Shows.”

“Name two headache remedies and why you would take them.”

Watch original Carnac clips here. I miss Johnny Carson.

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