By Alex Romanovich, Founder of EuroSpaClub International and Social2B

Inspired by this avatar designed by Jonathan Mak, a Hong Kong student, watching hours of YouTube videos of Steve Jobs appearances, and a hunting in my attic to find some relics of my 80′s ‘IBM geek era’, I decided to write this blog post.

I wanted to get things out – heavy thoughts that had accumulated in my head and were firmly sitting on my chest. Mixed feelings of nostalgia, anger and hope, were bunched up together, looking to get out in some form of communication with my close friends and those who could relate.

The first thought that came through my mind – how can the world lose someone like Steve Jobs when we need substance, innovation and forward thinking more than ever?

But the world goes on.

I met Steve twice in the late 80′s, at a few ‘geek’ functions and conferences. All but for 1-2 minutes per each encounter – once to shake his hand and once to look into his eyes, and another time to simply stand beside him and listen. I didn’t have to really listen – just being next to him and looking at him was enough – his piercing smile, his energy, and his presence spoke a lot.

Steve was the shining light in design, innovation and technology – he was feared, admired and ridiculed in the 80′s and 90′s, and then was absolutely revered in 2000′s. His death is a jolt to many of us who are still looking for answers – in marketing, technology, management and leadership. This type of jolt will be remembered, and hopefully will be applied as an example of what to do better and how to focus in the future. And most importantly – how to deliver.

As a marketer and a former technology architect, I try to apply many ‘textbook’ examples or case studies from the industry to do the ‘right stuff’, yet, Steve’s new video or Apple’s latest ‘surprise’ announcement always defies conventional ‘marketing logic’ for me.

He didn’t believe in focus groups, and he didn’t think that ‘the customer is always right’.

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – was his mantra throughout the years.

He always thought that ‘stealing ideas to make yours better’ was OK, and it is better to be a ‘pirate than to join a navy’. “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” – was another one of his controversial remarks.

And yet he was a staunch supporter of anti-piracy laws.

I was a WinTel PC and Unix Workstation user for over 20 years and would always dismiss a Mac as a ‘toy’, a ‘school box’, an ‘artist eye candy’. Yet, after the announcement of the iPhone, I caved in – I bought a MacBook Pro and wanted to really understand what everyone was so ‘giddy’ about. After using the Mac for about 3 months, with ‘cloud’ and all, I finally got it.

I finally understood that for Steve, ‘marketing’ and ‘product development’ was not just a process of delivering great products – it was the product itself and how it changed our lives and our emotions. For him, branding was not just about visuals and great communications – it was about making products and delivering services that carried that branding forward and delighted you every day. It’s as if he programed his entire product family to carry his message and his passion forward on its own.

So I am hooked, and every time I will go back to other products, I will expect the same quality. I will expect the same level of integration, design, and passion. And I will expect the same from my partners, my team, and my rivals. And most importantly, I will do my best to deliver the same.

Steve’s death jolted me into thinking that you can’t really call it ‘marketing’ until you do exactly what he did. And as a great prize fighter, he exited the rink.

We will continue to wonder about the ‘next Steve Jobs’ and may come out empty-handed. It doesn’t really matter, because Steve did what very few could accomplish – he took his passion, his ideas, his relentless pursuit of quality, his ‘dictatorship’ and his quirkiness and focused on delivering a product that can stand up to his dreams in many ways.

He completed the circle and he delivered on the promise of his vision – something that many companies are still trying to do after decades and billions of dollars of investment. In the end, the lesson learned for marketers and technologists – it’s not enough to have a vision or good intentions; it’s not enough to build great teams and command great budgets; it’s not enough to produce great products.

It’s about completing the circle, delivering on the promise of the brand, and doing it over and over again. As for Steve – he set the bar for all of us in technology, business, marketing and government. It’s up to us to live up to his expectations.

Rest in Peace; as you will always be in our hearts as the shining beacon of hope!

In the wake of Google+, law firms are being forced to rethink their strategy. Attorneys are already growing a decent following on Facebook and Twitter, sharing the latest in legal news (as well as showing themselves as likable people). Small communities are popping up around such topics as accident injury, food poisoning, and toy recalls. The addition of Google+ gives the legal industry something new to think about.

The early adopters of Google+ will have to work hard to gain the trust of the social community and get into their circles. The best way to do this would be by developing and sharing fresh and exciting content, as well as engaging with others in the public stream.

It doesn’t just take great content. Growing a community in social media requires the careful use of ad words, engagement, and thoughtful design. A professional looking page still goes a long way in today’s competitive market. For an attorney, it’s also important to come across as a likeable person and not just another lawyer.  The occasional non-business status update and genuinely responding to others in the stream will make a lawyer seem more personable.

Sharing content across multiple social platforms will also increase a law firm’s chances of landing a client. It’s already been proven that Facebook users aren’t as likely to be Twitter users. Although, the majority of Twitter users are found to be active on Facebook. Through the use of Twitter chats, Facebook polls, blog posts and now Google+ huddles and sparks… attorneys have multiple ways to share what they have to offer, listen to their potential clients needs, and act accordingly.

However, Google+ isn’t for the casual social media user. It seems to have attracted those who are typically early adopters of technology. So if a law firm is looking to expand its reach in the social media community, being a part of the new platform will show they’re forward thinkers. And the upcoming addition of Google+ for businesses will make the social transition even easier.

Here are some new terms coined by Google+:

Circles:

These are groups sorted according to their relationship to the user. Family, Friends, Clients, and even People Who Annoy Me all have their place in Google+ Circles. Status updates and content sharing can be done publicly or can be limited to specific circles. This comes in handy when you’re talking about that crazy weekend in Vegas.

Sparks:

Sparks are content create based on the users interests. This comes in handy when it comes to sharing relevant content.

Huddles:

A huddle is essentially a group chat messenger. It allows you to communicate with users in various circles.

Hangouts:

Just like it sounds… a hangout is a video chat room for groups. Users can participate via video, voice, or text chat. Content such as a YouTube video can also be shared in a Hangout.

Many specialized industries will be jumping into Google+ in the days and weeks to come. Not only would Law Firms benefit from being so technically savvy… but the medical field and financial divisions would also do well by updating their social media strategies. Take my word for it. Better yet… shoot me a message (KellyL@Social2B.com) or a tweet (@Social2B) and I’ll help to train you or your enterprise for the next phase of your social media marketing. *Photo Credit Aaron Wood on Google+*

By Marina Shapiro

‘Out with the old, and in with the new.’  The industry of Social Media Marketing is maturing and we are predicting a new dawn for the Social Media revolution. So, what will it mean to be ‘social’ in 2011?  What aspects of Social Media will be integral to the way businesses develop and grow?  How will this impact the technology? Who will ‘win’ at Social Media this year? We’ve compiled top 11 predictions for the world of ‘social’ in 2011.

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Take a Social2B survey – win a free Social Media Marketing Assessment and a Free blog design!

Social2B is conducting a survey for small businesses marketing to multicultural markets. Take a survey, re-tweet it and mention Social2B via #social2b hashtag (Twitter), or by name – Social2B,  to be entered into a drawing to win a free Social Media Marketing Assessment and a free Blog design.

Click Here to take survey

February 9th, 2010. By Alex Romanovich. Is Social Media just another channel? Yes, it may be, but it is so much more than that. Social Media is forcing corporations (brands) to look at how they engage with their clients, how they use information, and how they respond to events. It is forcing companies to treat Social Media as part of their overall value chain. For the B2Bsector, marketing opportunities have always existed throughout the value chain – from logistics to marketing and sales. With the introduction of more pronounced and readily accepted Social Media Marketing techniques into the consumer marketing space, the opportunities for business to generate leads, improve customer service, and raise brand awareness in the B2B arena are becoming more pronounced. The most recent eMarketer polls, as well as B2B Magazine’s report titled “2010 Outlook”, indicate that Social Media Marketing (SMM) will become increasingly important to B2B marketers. Note: This post continues at The Social CMO blog. Please click here.

By Kent Huffman.

June 15th, 2009

Kent Huffman is the CMO at BearCom Wireless. You can follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/KentHuffman

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Twitter. It’s all the rage in the social media world these days. But how can you best leverage it for tangible business-to-business marketing purposes? One way is to build your own community within Twitter.

Several months ago, I became interested in Twitter when a colleague told me about his positive experiences with the popular social media tool and insisted that I check it out. After signing up for an account and reading a few tweets, I immediately saw its potential as a community development tool. Being a long-time B2B marketer, I decided to build a group of folks interested in marketing who could inspire and help each other grow professionally by sharing ideas and information. But I didn’t know exactly how to go about creating that community.

I ultimately decided to treat it as I would any other important marketing initiative—by first developing a well-defined strategy and a set of related tactics. Over the next couple of months, I created and then tweaked the strategy and honed the tactics through trial and error. I then boiled everything down to a seven-step process that I’m sharing with you here in hopes that you can use it to develop your own B2B community on Twitter.

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I recently sat down with my friend, Pete Karinik, the founder of The CMO Club (www.thecmoclub.com), to have a frank discussion about crisis and how marketers should handle it. Here is what we’ve discussed.

1)    How is marketing of “services” different from marketing tangible products?

Selling ‘services’ was always a fascinating topic for many companies – product and services firms alike. The reason for that is simple – when you sell services, you sell value, and selling value is always more difficult than selling a tangible product, like the iPhone, an automobile, or a piece of clothing. Any services business, from a neighborhood beauty salon to a giant accounting firm, such as KPMG, knows that clients value quality, consistency, transparency (honesty), and innovation. I also think that at times of peril, meaning now, we have to look at selling the ‘basic idea’ – if you do your work well, and you are passionate about your clients, you will do fine. The other basic idea we often overlook is that when you are selling a ‘service’, you are selling a relationship with your client, and trust, not just an offering or an innovative idea. That relationship is built on numerous nuances, from a simple greeting to a major overhaul of the client’s financial system, and is backed by months and years of proven experience, trust and history. And that’s what defines your brand.

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