return on relationship

Two New Yorkers Collaborate to be the Voice for Restless Brands

57a38a942a00002c004f8689 2

Anyone who knows me knows I am all about the power of relationships. Every once in a while, something unexpected happens that seems almost too good to be true.

So two months and 53,000 YouTube views ago, I had no idea something this unpredictable would happen….

Over the course of 5 episodes, we’ve:

I am talking about this new collaboration I am super pumped over: The David and Ted Talk Show.

Read more

How to Increase Blog Traffic…

Ted B&W #140conf 6.2012 (1)

For me it is not about tools, but about strategy, and execution. Here are a few things to consider in addition to just posting articles and working the SEO angle…

1. User-Friendly Navigation: Keeping your blog easy to navigate with intuitive category labels will help people find the information they seek much faster. Also, make it easy for readers to leave comments and share your posts on various channels that will help lead others back to you.

2. Look for Holes in Your Competition: Take a look at your competition’s blogs and websites. Are there content holes they’ve missed that you can take advantage of? Ways to add value not already available and help you stand out. Those consistently provide lots of content have a bigger chance of attracting people who are actively looking for information.

3. Don’t Close Your Comments: Don’t close the door for people to leave comments on your blog; doing so leaves the impression that you only care about what you have to say and are not willing to be responsive to others. Seth Godin can do it, and it sure works for him, but until you are playing in that league, don’t go there.

4. Commenting on Other Blogs: Look for other blogs in your industry that have a good amount of traffic and comments, and contribute a comment, but only if you think you can add value to the conversation. Be careful not to promote your blog here; just add some insight, and do it on a regular basis. Make seeking out and commenting on other blogs a part of your daily activities. The more you contribute to the conversation happening around you, the more you’ll be seen as a thought-leader (and people will click on your link to check you out).

5. Syndicate, syndicate, syndicate… share your content via all social channels always including Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, which also makes it easy for others to share. And don’t be afraid to do it more than once periodically sharing old posts via your social channels, especially those that were well received. Also let others freely repost your content with a link back to the original post.

Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience and effect change, advocate brands, build relationships and make a difference.

Let Go of the Fear and Own Social ~via @InsideCXM

Just about every business owner recognizes the importance of using social media. To that end, they arrange for web sites to be built, have accounts on all the major social networking sites, and regularly post information about what their businesses are offering and doing. While that’s fine, these efforts are still relying mainly on pushing information toward consumers and attempting to treat their responses like data. That’s where things need to change.

Read more

Develop an Acute Ability to Listen

What if your point of difference was an acute ability to listen?

What would that look like?

It always amazes me how many people cut me off mid-sentence, and don’t even let me get my answer out, after they ask me a direct question.

Yes, I recognize listening alone may not set you apart from the competition. From my experience, you may win more business using your ears and eyes than with any other marketing strategy. That’s because, with listening, you can understand your prospect, and that understanding will help you win new business.

blog15

 

Read more

The Shorty Interview with Ted Rubin

Screen shot 2013-10-08 at 3.01.39 PM

 

How much time do you spend online?

Many hours per day… depending upon whether I am in meetings, speaking or at an event or brand meeting.

How do you imagine Twitter changing?

I don’t imagine, but my use will evolve as necessary w/the platform the same as it has with the changes to Facebook. It’s about the people.

Who do you admire most for his or her use of Twitter?

@ValaAfshar

What’s the funniest celebrity tweet you saw in this past year?

I don’t pay too much attention.

How do you pronounce GIF?

JIF

Why’d you start tweeting?

Because back in 2008 @OzSultan told me I had to be on Twitter and @rhollander, believe it or not walked me through the basics.

Read more

Forget B2B or B2C and Focus on BwB or BwC Instead ~guest post via @BLichtenwalner

 

bwb-bwc

 

The terms “Business to Business” (B2B) and “Business to Consumer” (B2C) are outdated. These terms imply your business is doing something to a customer. That may be how business was conducted decades ago, but it’s always been better – and is now necessary – to conduct business with your customer. Business to a customer is a transaction. Business with a customer is a relationship.Whether your customer is a business or a consumer, they prefer a relationship over a transaction.

Read more