One Mann's Opinion

Resolution 2010 | 10 Things (part two)

2009-12-31T00:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we covered five of the ten suggestions for next year.

10. Care A Little Less
9. Give More
8. Do Not Heed
7. Smile and Wave
6. Learn to Say No

Here are five more...

5. Of Course You Can

You have heard it, read it and seen it your entire life. You can do whatever you want if you believe and try hard enough. Are you doing it?

4. Eradicate the Naysayers

Never share your dreams with negative people. What is the point? If you have always wanted to play guitar and finally grabbed the nerve to buy one and take lessons, why would you then ask all your friends if they approve? Naysayers are as common as lint so what's the upside of listening to them?

3. Listen to the Right Voices

"If only I could get another thousand bucks,
I’d start my own business."

"If I have to work in that cubicle one more day,
I think I’m going to drive my car off a bridge."

"Why do we have to listen to her,
she has no idea what she’s doing and she’s the boss."

As soon as you stop listening to the negative voices and start paying closer attention to the ambitious ones, things will change immediately.

2. Trust Yourself More Than You Trust Others

I love to play golf, I don't play it near enough and I am terrible because I think too much. I can crank my driver 250+ yards, straight as an arrow, it is a thing of beauty. And it happens three times a round.

Perhaps it’s time we trusted ourselves more often. This is not about blind arrogance, it's about truly knowing our strengths and going for it.

There is a chance we would crank a lot more 250 yarders off the tee if we didn't over think so much.

1. Quit Your Whining

We love to complain, we find strange comfort in it, we join our colleagues after work to commiserate about our terrible lots in life. Perhaps it’s time for all of us to shut it.

Scientist have yet been able to link complaining to progress.

Happy New Year :-)

@knealemann

Resolution 2010 | 10 Things (part one)

2009-12-30T00:30:00.001-05:00

Will We Do Them This Time?

As a new decade approaches, the lists continue.

The best of the decade, the worst of the 21st century, the famous and infamous and it all means one thing – we love our lists.

Do we just stare at them and nod our collective heads then file them away with previous years, decades and centuries?

How do the lists affect our lives?

Here is a list of ten timeless things to think about. The first five today, second five tomorrow. They can be accomplished no matter your financial stature or geographical limitations.

10. Care A Little Less

We seem to put far too much credence in the opinion of others. Perhaps because we have a need to belong and in order to quantify an idea or success, we need a pat on the head from others.

For just one day, without malice or harm, try not caring about what we think and see what happens. Ideas may flow and we all win.

9. Give More

This is not another suggestion that everything is free and we all hold hands while we tweet and blog into the sunset. The concept of give more, is to suggest that we allow our talents and gifts to shine and replace all the empty boasting that all too often gets the spotlight.

8. Do Not Heed

If you allow the faceless group named ‘them’ to rule your decisions and behavior, you will lead a challenging life. The musician doesn't ask the crowd before she writes the song.

7. Smile and Wave

Imagine you are going about your day and suddenly it becomes clear that someone is having a bad time and is looking to have a fight with anyone they can lure. Nod your head and remove yourself from the situation immediately.

6. Learn to Say No

No is a perfectly acceptable answer and a complete sentence. In our fear of belonging or losing potential customers or slipping our market share we tend to travel for long periods of time outside the pocket. That is when the 300 pound lineman on the other side of scrimmage will crush us.

This is not to suggest we don't stretch but while we try to do everything, we do nothing well. Say no so you can say yes to what matters.

Please to add yours. Part two tomorrow.

Happy New Year :-)

@knealemann

Resolution 2010 | Three Words

2009-12-28T10:51:00.006-05:00

Pick Three

It’s been a tradition forever. As the year ends we all find reasons to make a list.

There’s a list of personal goals, professional benchmarks, habits to break, mind spaces to explore, dreams to realize.

One is the concept of summing up how you want your year to go with three words.

I posed the question today on Twitter.

The question remains, we will follow our three words in 2010?

Here are some responses...

SueVG Learn, Build, Persevere

LindaIreland Challenge. Possibility. Optimism

shiraabel Peace. Love. Prosperity.

prettyh Live life fully!

Robbie_J Get more sleep. Play more golf. talk in person.

AskAroundOttawa Like the idea of 3 words for 2010 much more than resolutions. Shall be giving this some thought.

nlongtin STOP. THE. WARS.

creightonc Health, Sanity, & Fun.

jpblogger What so funny about peace, love and understanding? My three for the ages.

dixbert just be happy.

SuzeMuse perhaps we should all first look at our 2009 three words. Mine were Connect, Difference and Positive. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

SuzeMuse still working on them. My first inclination was beer, wings and nachoes. But that might not work so well. ;)

RendaInDSM Do Something BIG!

kbleggett Peace, Love & Happiness..(sounds cliche but they work for me).

mikesansone Let's Find Out

ottawasteph Poor get poorer.

artistsandy Compassion, Appreciation and Play

LizScherer believe in yourself

What are your three words for 2010?

@knealemann

Books | More Important Than Ever

2009-12-27T00:46:00.016-05:00

How many books do you read?

I read and write every day.

But probably like you, I have become victim of the article mentality which consists of short pieces, websites, business manuals and research all tying up time that could be used to read a good book.

The publishing industry is changing like the music industry before it.

Creativity: More Important Than Ever

The ad agency, marketing and public relations models are distant cousins to those a decade ago and online channels are getting more crowded every minute. These are precisely the reasons why we need to read more books.

We are bombarded with material all day long. How much are we seeing and how much are we digesting? How has social media hindered this process?

How much of this content is worthy of our attention and retention?

When was the last time you read a book about your industry or business? How often do you disappear into a book simply to widen your horizons or expand your imagination and ideas?

Must Reads

I bought a bunch of books before the Holidays – all of which are on my ever growing “I really need to finally buy that one and actually read it” list.

And when I refer to books, those include the audio kind as well.

A stack of books resides on my desk. Each will be read (some will be re-read) and replaced by more from the list.

Read (or listen to) any good books lately?

@knealemann

image credit: flickr

Can Urgency Be Created?

2009-12-26T00:10:00.011-05:00

Everything Must Go

The Christmas retail season begins moments after the last trick or treaters are on their way home and ends on Christmas Eve as the stores lock their doors for the night.

This Week Only

This weekend, the stores will be filled with people returning and exchanging Christmas gifts while the retail industry settles in for a long winter’s nap. But in some countries there is one final push to create just a little bit more urgency.
Boxes to Bargains

In the UK, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Germany and a few others, today is Boxing Day. Originally called St. Steven’s Day, this was when the upper class would give gifts such as clothing and food to the lower classes in boxes for easy transport.

Save up to 80% Today Only

Christmas is on the 25th of December and Boxing Day is on the 26th. But years ago, the retail industry decided to extend the ask and create an even large sense of urgency and excitement with the creation of Boxing Week which began well before Christmas. It's akin to retailers 'chopping down prices' to celebrate the birth of George Washington.

Savings Are Store Wide

If you attempt to create a sense of urgency during your Boxing Week sale, are you not telling customers that your profit margins are too high the rest of the year or that the best time to buy from you is during this limited time?

Boxing Week is a multi-billion dollar event.

Earlier today, Margie Osmond from the Australian National Retailers Association said "We've had a fabulous healthy start to Boxing Day sales which is the biggest shopping day of the year."

Some economists predict that the countries that have adopted the Boxing Week model will see an economic correction from the downturn the rest of this year. It appears that St. Steven has done well for the bottom line.

Perhaps Obama should put it on the to-do list for 2010?

How can you apply this to your business?

@knealemann

image credit: lowbrowstyle

Keeping Score at Christmas

2009-12-25T09:14:00.009-05:00

It’s Christmas Day and for about half the planet it is a religious day and a day of celebration.

It is also a day of dealing with family members you may not like (keep in mind, they may not like you), expectations set out from the world of marketing and movies, overeating and depression, loneliness and hope.

It Ain't About The Money

I promise not to be another writer commenting about how this annual celebration has turned in to such a commercial and emotional plot twist.

Let’s use today to hit the reset button and figure out what is important to each of us. It’s not the pretty wrapped packages or the traffic jams at mall entrances. It’s lovely to find that special gift for that special someone but is that the real reason we do all this?

Keeping Score

Charlie spent $50 on me and I got him that stupid pen. I wonder what color shirt mom will get me this year; I almost have a complete set. There are too many to buy for, let’s draw names. Do we have to get him something, I don’t even like him. I hope Uncle Brian isn’t going say something inappropriate at Christmas dinner – he did do that thing back in ’91.

Eat too much, hug those you love, extend a hand to those in need and I hope you have a Happy Christmas :-)

@knealemann

image credit: therealmimi

Two Wolves

2009-12-23T00:00:00.005-05:00

Which One Wins?

A good friend sent this to me yesterday.

Immediately I sent to it to some other friends and thought I’d share it with you.

You may have seen this before, it's been around almost forever and it’s worth another read.

One evening a man told his grandson about a battle
that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”

“One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and faith.”

The grandson then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Which one do you feed?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: firstpeople.us

From Boston to Botswana

2009-12-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

Who Is Your Target?
If you have a web presence, you should measure who is visiting your space from time to time.

Much to my surprise, this space has grown over three thousand percent since this time last year.

It will be difficult to replicate again but blew me away.

There are readers in 95 countries, all but one Canadian province, every state in the U.S. and over 750 cities worldwide.

We reach places like Kota Kinabalu and Groningen. We have regular visitors from Bucharest and Perth.

A shout out to the person from Tianjin who dropped by and hi to our visitor in Gaborone.

There are readers from San Francisco to Slovenia, Indonesia to Illinois and Edmonton to Estonia.

But that means nothing to you. What does matter is how you may be able to use this type of information for your business.

If you are running a company and thinking about expanding your online presence - good for you. But what's important is your ability to understand why you are doing it and whether you are prepared to stick with it.

Focus on what you offer your customers and ask for feedback. But it's important to note the obvious, no one will find you by osmosis. That's not a digital thing, that's a business thing.

There are millions of sites you could have visited, thanks very much for stopping by here. I hope you found it valuable. If you have suggestions or feedback, fire away.

Happy Holidays :-)

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credits: worldbank.org | google analytics

Resolution 2010 | Let’s Get Stuff Done

2009-12-18T00:01:00.005-05:00

Widgets: Take your seats.

If you read this space once in a while, you probably have a couple social media profiles.

Perhaps you tweet and read up on the topic of social networking and see the constant battle between tools and talk.

We can drown in discussion and it’s time for us to move.

And activity does not equal progress - most of us have learned that lesson the hard way.

Twitter will never make you Hemingway, website design templates will not guarantee you a career in user experience and a MacBook Air has yet to give birth to the next Steve Jobs.

We need talent. A lot of it. Now.

Let’s actually collaborate and make some decisions. Let's get creative and spend 100% of our time on the projects we want to do with the people with which we want to do them.

If you have some time off over the Holidays, sift through your network and make a list of the people who you can help and who can help you.

Make another list of the people that compliment your skills and could make potential collaborators on projects. Toss that box of what-if’s, self-doubts and no ways immediately. You will be far too busy for that.

Learn the tools, have fun with the tools, discuss the tools, then let's get some stuff done. You in?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: octagonpartners.net

Life and Business | What Matters Now?

2009-12-16T08:13:00.017-05:00

Turn off all your electronics and surrender over all your aspirations and do absolutely nothing for a spell.
Elizabeth Gilbert | Ease

Seth Godin is one of the most creative minds we have in this world.

He is not curing disease or changing the trajectory of war, he makes us think and create.

Seth relates to the world of business, marketing and life in an inclusive and engaging way.

Be compassionate to everyone no matter the level of connection.
Mitch Joel | Compassion

Seth has brought together sixty people who have shared a piece of them for us to take with us and think, grow and learn.

And because life is always full of doubt and fears,
to act is to take that leap. So leap.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Leap

This is not just another book of inspiration. This is not simply a group of brilliant thinkers and doers who have shared one page of wisdom each to make up a collection of ideas for our lives.

This is certainly not some expensive buy-in download email laden purchase this program to help line the pockets of its creators.

It was created for us to download, read, share and repeat.

Everyone has their own Mount Everest
they were put on this earth to climb.
Hugh MacLeod | Meaning

This book is FREE. It’s FANTASTIC!

This is something you need to read TODAY and OFTEN.

Never forget, a small group of people can change the world.
Micah Sifry | Nobody

Topics include: evangelism, context, technology, knowledge, change, generosity, sleep, fascination, empathy, power, change, adventure and forty-eight more.

Notice what excites you and scares you
on a small moment-to-moment basis.
Derek Sivers | Passion

Sixty wonderful people have donated their time to create this 82-page free downloadable and sharable e-book. Times are tight, the Holidays are coming up, what a perfect gift to send to everyone.

The One Percenters are often hidden in the crevices of niches,
yet they are the roots of word of mouth.
Jackie Huba | 1%

What Matters Now | Free Download Here

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: seth godin

Building a Business | The Most Important Ingredient

2009-12-15T08:03:00.014-05:00

What Do You Think?

Years ago I worked for a company that asked all of its employees for their opinion. The results were startling. The number one grievance was management’s inability to deal with non-performance. Yes they notice when you fail to deal with issues.

Good enough is not good enough, that will do is worse than don't bother. You need your people to be the best at what they do and it's up to management to create an atmosphere for them to shine. If you think you can shortcut this, call the local sand company and get them to deliver enough to bury your entire body.

Fix What's Broke

If you are in a management position and you are not dealing with these issues, everyone is aware. If you don’t think they are, you are fooling no one but yourself. This was well documented by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point and the chapter Broken Window.

If you don't care, why should they care?

One person is late for a meeting and the boss does nothing about it. Suddenly half the room is late for meetings, dress code rules aren't followed, customers receive sub-par service and profits shrink.

The average person spends 2,000 hours a year at work. If those are enjoyable hours, no one is counting. If they are miserable, time stands still.

What’s the solution?

Creating experiences are the best way to get everyone involved. If it is an atmosphere of encouragement and teamwork, you will see a remarkable difference in morale and productivity.

Who wants to grind it out at work and deal with passive aggressive behavior? We are healing from the worst economic crisis in seven decades, it’s time to get creative and devise ways for us to enjoy the process better.

The most important ingredient in building a business is people.

Without good people, your great ideas may just jangle around your gray matter trying to find a place to land. Remove a solid creative team and the battles will be tougher to win. A company void of a collaborative environment is primed to fail.

If you are like me and consult business, it is important to build a collaborative network of people in and out of clients' companies. I don't know about you, but I want to work with people who want to make a difference and inspire others. If you're not interested in that type of working environment, I wish you well in your future endeavors.

One Works. One Does Not.

Have you ever wondered how one business thrives with fewer resources while another well-financed company can’t seem to find success? You need resources but without encouraged people good luck to you.

Will you deal with non-performance and encourage creative ideas or will you shake your head in disbelief when your ideas aren’t magically turned in to success?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: sciaf.org.uk

What Is Your Holiday Greeting Prefence?

2009-12-14T18:00:00.001-05:00

Email or snail mail. Festive tweet or Christmas card.

It was a difficult year but perhaps we can chalk it up to character building? Let’s go with that. As 2009 draws to an end, some good cheer is being exchanged.

I was speaking with a colleague last week and she had to cut the call short because she had to go write out client Christmas cards.

Then I wondered if we prefer cards or emails or e-cards or Facebook wall posts or think the electronic idea is better for the environment or is it simply important that the message is sent no matter the medium?

It was time for an impromptu Twitter poll. I wondered if you preferred a festive email or card in the mail or did it matter. A shout-out to mom who has been doing cards for decades - received mine last week.

This survey was held at around 8:15am on December 14, 2009 for about ten minutes – aka very official and highly scientific.

Here are the results...

@TWalk I don't send holiday cards, personal or business. Try to keep up with friends year-round.

@Thebookmaven I can't resist real cards in the mail. But some festive/photo emails are really terrific.

@mdbenoit2 Definitely card in the mail.

@SuzeMuse I am pretty proud of myself that I managed to send a few Christmas cards this year.

@tommyvaller I'm going to vote festive coffee or beer meeting. I'd much rather spend 10 minutes in person than any time on the phone. I'm sending the paper ones out today and prefer getting the paper kind, personally.

@fendergurl email always makes it there on time. (maybe a better 'green' holiday option)

@Robbie_J still love the hands-on feel of a proper Christmas card.

@slboval Post please. I am traditional that way.

@HeatherLeson Both. I have a large number of elderly relatives who love hand-written cards. Plus, there's a certain charm in getting mail.

@carolinekealey We did a donation to Snowsuit Fund and an e-card this year, and got lots of positive feedback for the eco-friendly switch

@Florina_B My choice: holiday cards on paper, more personalized...brings more joy

@ivan007 cards please

@AvrilAutopsy I'm old fashioned I like snail mail

@LizScherer I bought cards but have yet to write them. A festive email might suffice. Not mass tho - individual.

@wojtekhoch Both. I do both e-cards and Physical mail. There is something special about handwritten cards.

@Hannechr Prefer to give the greeting in person; but a card is always nice.

@joshchandler Festive email. Ha, there's no original thought or effort made, just electronic bits on a screen (lame!).

@gwenmccauley Holiday cards in the mail or festive email. What is your preference? I prefer to ignore Christmas!

@Lissansky Cards for the bosses, festive Facebook wall posts for everyone else :)

@OttMomGo Send cards in mail and like to get same. Get few email

@kbleggett As green as I try to be I still send out Xmas cards every year to family & friends around the globe.

@KarenHooper Still love to get Christmas cards in the mail.

What is your Holiday greeting preference?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credits: twitter | ebay.com.au

Resolution 2010 | Business or People?

2009-12-11T08:15:00.012-05:00

As 2009 draws to an end, perhaps time for reflection.

The chainsaws I juggle on a daily basis include marketing and social media strategy for public sector (government) clients with the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM).

I am also involved in various charitable initiatives. And I work with business clients through YouIntegrate.

As well, I strive to have at least three in-person meetings each week with someone I’ve never met before as I am always looking to collaborate with new people. So if you are in the Ottawa Canada region and we haven’t had coffee yet, dust off an hour and let's do that. In 2010, the coffee tour will expand to other cities.

It all might be dressed up in the nice neat client-consultant-business relationship but we know it’s not about that. It’s about human beings connecting and helping each other.

One issue has been consistent throughout my 26 year marketing and media career – we humans make a lot of mistakes.

• We also have a warped view of our world because it’s our world. But as long as we understand that our emergencies are not others’ priorities, we’re fine.

• We have fears and dreams and sometimes misguided views of our business ideas.

• We are impatient and have bad moods.

• There are selfish not so nice people in the world.

• We gain victories without grasping how to recreate them next time.

• We make assumptions that others involved in the project share our desired outcome despite the fact we haven’t clearly stated either.

• The "global economic crisis" has created paranoia and distrust among nervous and scared people. Everywhere. That behavior solves what, exactly?

As we enter 2010, what can we bring forward and what can we discard?

Perhaps these quotes may help with your decision...

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
Henry Ford

Goals are dreams with deadlines.
Diana Scharf Hunt

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
Mark Twain

Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
Spanish Proverb

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.
David Sarnoff

Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility.
Ambrose Bierce

Turn your wounds into wisdom.
Oprah Winfrey

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: snsmc.co.uk

Strategy | Everywhere A Sign

2009-12-10T00:00:00.006-05:00

Long haired freaky people need not apply.

Do you read the signs?

Do you do anything about the signs that can lead you to the answers?

What about the signs when you meet someone you shouldn't trust?

La La La I Can't Hear Me.

We all need those people in our lives who will kick our butts. But why do we ignore those internal signs that we know will help us?

Where Do We Stumble?

Is it fear of failure? Fear of inaction? Fear of success? Or perhaps some other type of self-sabotage? What will people think, I could never do that, the excuses are piled higher than the signs. Now add that to an organization and you can see how companies can get stuck.

Let's Go For A Ride.

This week Sir Richard Branson announced his new adventure. For a paltry $200,000 (USD) you can be placed on a waiting list to potentially get a ride on his Virgin Galactic flight to the edge of the atmosphere where you will experience weightlessness for four full minutes.

The waiting list is growing daily.

Why is Sir Richard doing this?

Because he put his mind to it and yet again ignored the naysayers and critics. I’d like to think we admire people like Branson.

What would happen if you added even a dash of his guts into your organization?

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.

Do you see them? Hear them? Pay attention to them?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credits: san francisco sentinel | flickr

We Can't Convince You

2009-12-08T00:01:00.016-05:00

Protocol and guidelines, policies and business strategy, tweet this and blog etiquette that can be exhausting. And like this space, it's all just opinion.

If you don’t know why you should have a LinkedIn group or how the content delivered to cell phones is going to help you, don't do it.

If you think Flickr is spelled wrong and Blip just sounds silly, no worries. Or if you don't understand why people are talking about four square when you know you will never lose weight if you eat that much, that's okay.

What Do You Have To Lose?

If you don't understand it, others can't convince you. What we can do is show you options and you can pick the ones that make the most sense to you and your situation.

As part of my job as a strategist, I help clients with business, marketing and social media plans. There are two questions you need to ask through the process - how and why.

Pick A Card. Any Card.

But with digital channels there is no one answer, site, background theme, writing style, logo color or font choice. Pick one, experiment, pick another one, experiment, throw stuff against the wall, collaborate your brains out and have some fun.

The best social media policy I've heard of yet: Don't be stupid. Keep your company or personal brand's best interest in mind, then experiment.

Remembering

One of the most gifted music minds in history was killed twenty-nine years ago today and his music still lives on. He didn't follow the rules, he didn't ask for permission. John Lennon | Oct 9, 1940 - Dec 8, 1980

And it is with that in mind...

Just ask yourself two simple questions: How? Why?

Then one more: Why Not?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

TEDxOttawa

2009-12-05T00:00:00.008-05:00

This Sunday | Ottawa, Canada

A few months ago, Allan Isfan
thought it would be a cool idea to bring TEDx to Ottawa with hopes his community would agree. We did.

Susan Murphy immediately got involved and things began to roll.

The two have lead the charge on what will be a very special event.

From the TED website: TEDx is a program that enables local communities such as schools, businesses, libraries, neighborhoods or just groups of friends to organize, design and host their own independent TED-like events.

The first round of tickets for TEDxOttawa sold-out in 12 minutes.

The rest were in such demand applications were needed. Then a waiting list. For those who won't be there, thanks to Sue and her fabulous crew, you can watch the live stream all day.

Proceeds from TEDxOttawa go to a wonderful cause: Kiva.

The day will be filled with a fascinating group of speakers and performers: Ray Zahab, Danny Brown, Tracey Vibert, Jowi Taylor, Allan Isfan, Robert Mittelman, Kris Joseph, Tracey Clark, William Jans, Cindy Chastain, Mark Blevis, Elise Jackson, Mark Levison, Melissa Love, Nick Desbarats, Kip Voytek and Ryan Stec.

If you are attending, let's say hi. If not, I hope you can join the stream.

It's going to be a fantastic day!

TEDxOttawa | an independently organized TED event
live stream here

Addendum: Wow, what a day! Inspirational speakers, fantastic crowd, delicious lunch, world-class crew and a very special shout-out to Allan Isfan and Susan Murpy for leading the charge.

All presentations were recorded for future use. What an honor to be a part of such a special day.

@knealemann

Everyone's An Expert

2009-12-04T00:00:00.008-05:00

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

My doctor is a good guy. He seems to know what he’s doing. He has framed documents from accredited educational institutions hanging proudly in his office. Doc seems competent. He reads up about new medications, ailments and treatments. He takes training courses and hasn’t stopped learning since the day he left university.

Does that mean he’s an expert?

It appears that the problem is not the word but the use of the word.

"Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience."
Denis Waitely

Perhaps if you call yourself an expert, others view you as arrogant. And if others call you an expert, you must shun their compliments. Perhaps it stems from the perception that you can't back it up. Everyone I know is an expert at something.

Synonyms for expert include:
Specialist, Professional, Authority, Proficient, Skilled.

F1 World Champion Jenson Button is paid handsomely to drive a multi-million dollar race car so he certainly is a specialist – it’s not something most of us can do.

They're Everywhere!

My doctor is professional, my next door neighbor is an authority on lawn care, the dude who owns the restaurant a few miles away has a ton of skill and should be in the burger olympics and my best friend is a specialist with a bunch of big brain stuff I can't pronounce.

I spend most of my time in the world of social media and marketing where - according to some - you aren't allowed to have proficiencies and authority. I have spoken with many who others call experts and in every single case it is not a term they use to describe themselves.

What's all this about the Tweets and Pokes?

Social media is not something for any of us to "get", it is here regardless. Companies and individuals are embracing the mediums in which we socialize and advancing business in the process. I don't "get" how they can put a rocket into the atmosphere but I accept that it is a reality.

Whether you are practicing medicine, helping others collaborate with social tools, keeping weeds out of your lawn or refining ways to handle the chicane; you have skill and you are learning.

"I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions
in which they can learn." Albert Einstein

Be proud of what you can offer and share it. Tell everyone how you can help, follow your passion and often refer to the good Doctor Geisel.

So, are you an expert?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: telegraph.co.uk

TEDxOttawa | This Sunday
Watch the live stream

The Lemonade Movement

2009-12-02T00:03:00.011-05:00

I talk and write about social media, marketing and business strategy. I consult clients on these things, I drive my friends crazy with these things. But without us humans, none of it has a stitch of relevance.

These are strange economic, political and emotional times and at the core is how each of us deals with our specific situation.

Reality: Many have lost their job.
Good News: Many have found their calling.

The Lemonade Movement is a brilliant project.

Watch the video and share it.

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

This Sunday: TEDxOttawa
Watch the live stream

video credit: lemonademovie.com

Information Super Gridlock

2009-12-01T07:42:00.008-05:00

We are pummelled with shards of online content constantly. It's like downtown Cairo traffic.

I saw Henry Rollins a few years ago talking about his trip to Egypt and he said there are four lane highways with six lanes of traffic.

The chatter, garbage and noise begin to blur while our ability to decipher crap from non-crap is tougher every day.

Good or Bad?

Technorati monitors around 200 million blogs; there are opinion columns, online news sites, forums, chat rooms and social networking spaces that give us choice. And that's over and above all the news, sports, information and entertainment portals.

But these options have created a problem. We have too much choice and all the good stuff is mixed with the stuff we don’t want or care about. That's why we often visit the same sites everyday, we are frozen in indecision.

The World Wide Maze

Search Engine Optimizationists (it’s a word now, just made it up) say it’s all about rank, bloggers stomp their keyboards for free speech and we marketing/social media types talk about open source conversations and collaboration.

If you don’t reside in those worlds, you don’t care. You just want to be entertained, informed and get details on that new rider mower. And you may not want someone to tell you what to choose or think.

How do you navigate the deafening racket?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: google

Connecting The Dots

2009-11-28T16:37:00.010-05:00

How Long Has It Been?

Sixteen years ago, I was programming a radio station and I met a guy who was running a music magazine.

Apparently I treated him well (whew!) because three years ago he contacted me via Facebook in his current position of world renowed digital marketing blogger, president of a digital media agency and published author.

Building The Relationship

We have kept in touch, grabbed a meal a couple of times and shared a few ideas back and forth. Last April, he invited me to something called a Geek Dinner. It was a collection of people who had met online and enjoyed talking about digital media and marketing and communications and social networking.

Nice To Meet You. Now What?

During that dinner I met a few very cool people. Over the following few months we stayed in touch, exchanged emails and in some cases met in person and did some work together. We have kept in touch.

Among other client work, I recently became an associate at a public sector marketing company through someone I met that night. Over and above the work with him, he has introduced me to another client. Because of a meeting with someone sixteen years ago, I met someone who asked me to join their agency who in-turn introduced me to another client.

We Met Online

A few weeks ago, I attended an event with the United Way called Schmoozefest and realized that there were twenty of us who had all somehow met each other online. We lived in the same city but social media brought us together faster than any other networking means.

The World Is Small

I can look at almost every project I'm involved with right now and they point to connections made through digital social networks.

But Don't Be Fooled...

The websites simply connect us, the ability to contribute to a relationship is where the work begins.

The next time you wonder if social media – which is code for human networking – works, you might want to go back and see if you can connect the dots. And the good news, you can start anytime.

Do you think it’ll work?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

Social Media | Beyond Pictures and Profiles

2009-11-26T00:10:00.003-05:00

Mediums Socialized.

Three quarters of North Americans have Internet access. Six hundred million are online in Asia. The Internet is growing 18% annually.

Social Media has become a viable opportunity in which to weave business and careers.

Big stinkin' deal. What does that mean to you?

If you're a business owner, there are measurable statistics about your industry, offering, products, company and the conversations people are having right now that are worthy of paying attention to or you could be leaving opportunities on the keyboard.

Payoff NOW!

The concern that social media may be a waste of your time, energy, resources and sweat equity seems to be a common one. However, if you could have a better sense of the landscape, wouldn't you want to know about it?

As return on investment and metrics are tossed around like chips at the blackjack table, the finesse and care needed to understand behavior is even more important.

It's a buyer's market.

You are a customer and a facilitator. You are in charge of your own online environment. You are not in charge of mine or your customers' experience.

This is not a niche or a boutique.

Social Media has been around since we began carving images on cave walls.

With our technological advancements, these actions have given us the ability to share instantaneously with any one of the 1.6 billion other humans online.

User experience is not just a slick phrase developed by the ICT community. These are the creature comforts we want in order to create the atmosphere best suited for our personal or business needs. We want to be able to create our own surroundings. We can and we do.

Social media is not a campaign or an add-on to your existing business plan, it must be part of it. It is also not simply a collection of websites.

Patience and commitment are required or there is no need to bother. If you are in search of an absolute sure thing that will raise your bottom line with minimal effort, buy a lottery ticket and cross your fingers.

How you can better connect with your customers on their terms on a human level? How have your competitors already done so?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credits: cjonline | wikipedia

Living By Numbers

2009-11-24T00:03:00.008-05:00

Calculate the bill, figure out the cost and tally the amount.

Revenue down, lower employee count, enhance the bottom line.

Friends and followers are published for all to see.

The race is on and the top three get a medal.

Two minutes left, score tied, first place on the line.

A higher grade point average will mean a larger scholarship.

One more deal, quota made.

Working into the wee hours, four more steps to top the corporate ladder.

One more day and one more dollar.

All too often we seem to gauge our lives solely by numbers. For most, they are the largest measurement of success.

Does anyone really know why?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: clivejames.com

Why Stuck?

2009-11-21T00:02:00.005-05:00

This post was originally published as a guest contribution
on Liz Strauss' Successful Blog.

We All Have Choices

Recently, a friend sent me a copy of Rick Butts’ e-book 7 Choices. In it, Rick talks about the time we work on us versus the time we work on what we do or getting customers or what we can offer. In the age of social networking, we can all create profiles and exchange ideas.

How much time do we spend on better understanding ourselves?

In 1943, Abraham Maslow outlined our need to belong in his paper Hierarchy of Needs. No matter your age or situation, you want your life to have purpose and passion. That is the core of why we may get stuck – we aren’t following either. We haven’t deciphered who we are and what drives our passion. All too often we seek external confirmation.

Internet Friends

If you are immersed in social media and haven’t taken a moment to think of all the wonderful people you would not have met otherwise you are missing the essential part of the process. In my case, I met Liz Strauss and Kathryn Jennex and over the course of two years we all got to know each other.

A few tweets turned in to some emails and phone calls then in to actual work. I look forward to new projects with them in 2010. My friend Lisa Hickey calls it accelerated serendipity.

We're In This Together

I was at an event last week and realized that the twenty or so people I was sitting with had all met online. We shared similar sensibilities, we found trust with each other and we want each other to be happy and do well.

So why do we get stuck? Is it because no one will help us realize our passion and purpose? Or is it that we haven’t discovered it inside us in order to tell people what we want?

Three years ago, a friend gave me a copy of The Secret. I watched the first half of the film with my closed mind and arms folded and the second half taking notes.

Notes Are Not Enough

We need action and focus. We are human. We get stuck. We fall into the same traps of listening to the opinions of naysayers. We fail to listen to that pang in deep in our gut. If you haven't experience this, count yourself very fortunate. That is extremely rare.

I was speaking with a client the other day about Ellen DeGeneres. She endured three years of unanswered phone calls. No one wanted to hire her and she was running out of money. She was stuck. She then got the idea of doing her own talk show. The studios weren’t falling over themselves to help her realize her dream.

But Ellen made it happen and built it into one of the most popular shows on television. It took work and persistence. She did it because she found out who she was and got unstuck.

Help Is On The Way

Does this mean we shouldn’t discover people we trust to help us navigate this journey? Ask the most successful people on the planet if they get stuck and you will get a resounding – YES!

None of us is immune. But if someone asks you to help them get unstuck, forget their resume or the past and listen to what they need. If you do, magic will happen for both of you.

Thanks Liz!

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: thecarconnection.com

The Social Economy

2009-11-19T01:06:00.015-05:00

Imagine the Internet is your investment portfolio.

There are an estimated 1.7 billion people online. That’s one quarter of the world’s population.

There are over 400 million in Asia with Internet access and three quarters of North Americans are online.

We're Rich! We're Rich!

The number of people on the Internet is increasing at just shy of 20% annually. Venture capitalists are frothing over these numbers and it is the reason why some of our favorite social channels receive more funding.

Media are/is Mediums.

We can officially stop making the distinction between "traditional" media (print, radio, television, outdoor/transit) and digital media. What is paramount is our ability to navigate all of the available mediums as well as the communication between companies and customers.

A flag and an anthem.

With a population of over 300 million, Facebook would be the fourth largest country on the planet where 1.6 billion pieces of content is exchanged every day.

Blogger, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter get over 900 million daily visitors. We can safely put the apples and oranges away and call it all media and mainstream.

Social Media are the mediums in which we socialize.

We all too often forget what it’s like on the other side of the counter. We are all customers and we are all service providers. But the connection often breaks down when discussions surround building online communities with a business application.

If you could see a 20 point increase each year, would you be interested?

If giving up control to your customers would increase their spend, are you still reading?

Are you willing to let your customers have the ability to have actual direct contact with you?

Are you ready to put some time and resources and sweat equity into your Internet portfolio?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: doorsofperception.com

Reading The Room

2009-11-15T00:05:00.003-05:00

Years ago I worked with a sales guy who used to constantly remind me to “read the room”. He felt it was paramount that he knew the dress code of each meeting, who was attending and how the client’s pain was going to be cured.

Room? What Room?

The theory of reading the room or knowing your audience seeps into all that we do. It becomes especially tricky through the digital channels we reside.

Mitch Joel recently wrote a post about the difficulty of scaling your personal brand.

If you build a community then tell that community you don’t have time for them, how long will members remain?

The challenge is that we often want to share information but can’t give it all away for free. Time and money make for a delicate dance.

Defining The Room

I was speaking with a colleague recently who is a VP at one of the major U.S. cellular companies and he shared with me the story of dealing with one of his largest clients. This six figure client owns a big construction company whose world does not include a sales guy in a suit.

My buddy’s boss wanted to meet this client. So he suggested he'd pick him up on the way to the meeting. As suspected, the boss was in need of a wardrobe change. He told him to lose the suit and tie clip in favor of jeans and a golf shirt.

The meeting was held at a construction site - the client’s room - and the language was a tad looser than some would expect.

It Ain't About You

The boss was shocked by the repeated expletives by both men. The client said that his team was very happy with their new digital devices and all was going well. My buddy's boss learned a lesson about clients and suits. Thanks Chuck for sharing that story!

If we pay attention we can often figure out who we want to engage and those we don't, after we read the room.

Is it important to 'read the room'?
What are your thoughts?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: netmaestro.co.nz