#1 Thing You Need to Know about this Post:
The only sustainable way for you to create wealth for yourself is by improving the lives of others. Starbucks understands this and so can you. 

A More Detailed Exploration
In case you just missed it in the opening sentence, I have an earth-shattering announcement to make:

The only sustainable way for you to create wealth for yourself is by improving the lives of others.

Despite what you might have heard from others, the only true path to long-term wealth creation comes from the careful balance of private gain and social good. Think about it. You create wealth when a lot of people think what you offer to the world is important enough to them that they pay you money and then keep paying you money over long periods of time. more

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A business blog can do lots of things so it really depends on the company. I can tell you that we are not a digital company that immediately says you need a blog.

We are a company that will find out what you want to do, find out what your audience really wants from you and then if a blog fits our strategy – well then, we’ll suggest you start a blog.

But that being said, I am a big believer in blogs. Right now, blogs are very good at doing lots of great things on the web.

What is Princeton Premier

Driving traffic (#2 from the guys at SEOmoz.org)
Spurring conversations – Check out Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
Giving business a real voice and personality (Chris Brogan and Bob Rhubart’s Comments
Search engines love them
But they can also suck. Here’s a good list for knowing if your business blog sucks.

We measure our business blog by the traffic it generates and the conversations it spurs. Our chief evangelist, ScottyHendo, is very, very good at getting conversations going. Some of his more intriguing ones are:

I Gave $10 to David Armano to Help Daniela and Now I Regret It
Why Chris Brogan’s Kmart Moment Matters: Personal Reputation vs. Corporate Brand

But he is amazed at how much traffic my little post about Princeton Premier has driven for our blog.

I wrote it merely as an example of how I used searching and social media to find out about a company and then make a common sense evaluation of whether I wanted to do business with them.

But the blog post itself remains one of our top posts and continues to drive traffic to the site. It’s on the first page of the Princeton Premier SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for Google and it continues to get comments.

I never really intended for it to do anything but be part of our voice to help businesses understand that if you aren’t out there in social media spaces and being a part of the conversation, others will do it for you. And it may not be the message you want.

For Princeton Premier, I think it is bad. Their site is number one but almost all the other links are blogs calling them out for being a scam.

The lesson here is make sure you are constantly making sure that you know what is being said about you on the web. I use SM2 and Google Alerts for both my company and myself.

And then if you find something bad, knowing what to do about it. MediaSauce has several solutions for this that range from contacting the person directly to establishing a siteless web presence with social media.

If you would like to learn more, just give us a call at 317.218.0500 or email.

But back to my original purpose of this post, business blogs do work if you give them time and you write about things that your audience wants and you tie it into your business. Don’t give them just fluff. Don’t give them that old school marketing spin.

If you don’t believe in business blogs, I would like to understand why. Give me your feedback and experience.

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MediaSauce proudly announces an exclusive business partnership with the creator of “The Social Media Bible.” Being released on April 21, 2009, it is the first book to comprehensively define the tools, tactics and strategies of social media in the Digital Age. The Book will be a must-have reference manual and business guide for executives around the globe that seek to succeed on the internet.

(I’ll share more details about this important business book and our partnership following a case-study account of how social media gets the credit for this business opportunity.)

Every week I spend 45-60 minutes perusing the hundreds of discussion forums on LinkedIN to identify if there are any interesting job recruits or business development opportunities that MediaSauce might like to pursue.

Those minutes, spread across the business day, are my version of mental smoke breaks. I don’t find a lead or opportunity every time, but I’m addicted because of the fix I get when there is something that drives a new opportunity.

On January 5th I spotted a question from Lon Safko asking for “…the right partner who can help me develop the web site around my new book, “The Social Media Bible” published by John Wiley & Sons.”

This caught my eye, as John Wiley & Sons is a respectable publisher, best known for their “For Dummies” series.

more

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARMEL, IN - January 26, 2009. “The Social Media Bible,” co-author Lon Safko announced today he has selected MediaSauce as their long-term strategic partner. “The Social Media Bible,” published by John Wiley and Sons, will be the definitive guide for social media strategies, tactics and technologies integration for business executives.  more

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The #1 Thing You Need to Know from this Post:
You can break out of your personal echo chamber and see the world in a different light thru the @ScottyHendo Twitter Exchange Program.  

A More Detailed Explanation:
Three weeks ago, I had had enough of the Internet echo chamber after seeing the same handful of links and topics bouncing around in my Twitter stream. Knowing the human mind is at its best when it’s exposed to a variety of viewpoints, I decided to do something about it. more

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As the creator of the world’s first Twitter Exchange Program, I felt it was important to be in its first graduating class.  Here is a summary of my experiences.  [If you're not sure what the program is, you can read all about it here.]

My Search Term
Vibrant more

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Connections are taking on a whole new meaning in the Interconnected Age – and sales executives that believe they can rely solely on the relationship building methods of days gone by are going to quickly become relics.

If you want your sales organization to help you gain market share in the digital age, they must be ready and able to connect; social media is quickly driving new opportunities to generate business.

At “Sales 2.0,” Bryan Gray and I layed out the critical need for sales organizations to outwit and outmanuever the competition – or risk being beat by smarter, more digitally savvy sales teams. (Watch the presentation below)

You can listen to the entire presentation here.

Build a culture

Unfortunately there isn’t a magic pill that can turn our traditional sales force into a weapon for the digital age.  So those of us in sales leadership must start today to build a culture prepared to  compete as more and more customers choose to make decisions through the internet and not by RFPs, long sales proposals, etc.

We can, however, begin building a culture by getting our existing staff introduced to social media and give them the insight to start generating new business. Let’s face it, there’s no easier way to get sales people excited about new tools or technology than to show them the immediate impact these tools can make on their commission checks!

3 tools, all free

There are a multitude of fantastic Web 2.0 tools out there to generate leads from, but it’s important we get started with the ones that have the most immediate opportunity for impact. I guarrantee that if your entire sales force exploited the opportunities that these three free sites offer, they’ll make more sales and have deeper relationships with their prospects and customers:

• Facebook
• LinkedIN
• Twitter

Notice I said “exploit” not “use.” There is a significant difference. Just having a profile on these three sites isn’t enough. Adding a couple photos and occasionally sending out a connection or friend request is merely participation on the site.

In the coming days and weeks I will write a few blog posts on the MediaSauce blog about each of these tools. In the meantime, take a look at the presentation Bryan and I gave at “Sales 2.0″ for a quick look at the opportunities that these three tools create for you as you transform your sales organization for the digital age.

Today is the day to make a change in your sales culture. If you don’t, your competition will find a way to sell to your customers while you’re still trying to get a phone call returned for an appointment.

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So every morning I basically do the same thing. I get up, get the kids fed and on the bus and then head to work.

Photo by Kevin Dooley

It’s pretty chaotic in the morning. The kids make sure of that.

So when I get to work, I get to slow down right. Well, not really.

In the world of digital, there is so much going on. In fact it’s really chaotic. There’s new technology – like everyday something fantastic comes out – and there’s new techniques.

What I did yesterday, may not work today. There are no real standards – and I would question what your outreach company says if they say they have a “proven” method. How are you going to change the world with a “proven” method? If that is the case, then everyone would be using it.

I’m not staying that you don’t need stats or some kind of proof that the strategy and tactics will work. You should ask for examples of other successes but if they are suggesting that you do the same thing that someone else has already done. Well, then how is that unique thinking? How will that change the world for you.

I read this morning and had to print it out and tape it to the wall. Things I like make it to my wall.

It’s from Scott McCloud. And he says:

Learn from Everyone
Follow No One
Watch for Patterns
Work like hell

Love it. So how will you change the world today?

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The #1 Thing You Need to Know about this Post:
You can use social media to raise more awareness, more resources, and keep people better informed, but we’re still working on how to use these tools to fix the actual social problems.

A More Detailed Exploration
For anyone who doubts we have entered a new era when it comes to charity, you can return to the salt mines.  For the rest of you reading this, let’s reflect back on the last fourteen days:

• Two weeks ago, I’m willing to wager that you (except for a select few) didn’t know about Daniela and her three kids. Heck, you might not had even known about David Armano;
• Twelve days ago, you probably came across Daniela’s story and felt compelled to give; 
• Ten days ago, you might have been part of the well-deserved digital ticker tape parade celebrating this outstanding show of support;
• Seven days ago, you were in the midst of a heavy discussion about the ramifications of what has since been termed Free Lancer Fundraisers;
• Four days ago, you found out Daniela had secured an apartment for her family and your collective generosity had made it possible; and
• Yesterday, you read that the move-in had begun. more

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February 19, 2009. Technology has brought us all together, but will it lift us up?  The Interconnected Age has put every person within your reach, but that doesn’t mean people will instantly take action for problems you want them to solve.

While many people are talking about cause marketing, not many can tell you what it means or even show you how to do it. MediaSauce can and we invite you to join Mitch Maxson and Scott Henderson as they explore these concepts and review real-life case studies.

Where: Clowes Auditorium at the Indianapolis Marion Country Public Library

When: February 19, 2009

Time: Registration 9:00-9:30am | Event 9:30-11:30am

What:
Learn how businesses can:

• create greater awareness & raise more money for causes that matter;
• build innovative partnerships with non-profits; and
• deepen relationships with current and prospective customers.

Email us at events@mediasauce.com to make sure you are included on our email list for all the latest information on this upcoming event.

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