Social Media Content Marketing

Last night while watching baseball, it hit me. The idea for my column, not the ball. I'm so spontaneous I just then decided to write about my spontaneity. Like how I recently moved across the country. I purchased the tickets on a Monday, arrived the next day 2,300 miles West. I had been living in the same apartment for seven years. But right before I moved, something wonderful happened. I reached to flick on the bedroom light switch and it was gone. Not from the wall, but from my memory. My subconscious chose to delete that bit of information from my RAM to make room as it would soon be as obsolete as a floppy disk with Netscape Navigator. And that was the first of my cerebral cleansing with no juicing required. Each day I purged more and more from the mailman's name to -- well see? I already forgot what else I forgot. Social media marketers strive to flip that light switch on permanently so they are always top of mind. Better, strive to get your posts...

With a Twitter IPO expected in mid-November, Twitter wants to position itself as indispensable to consumers. Like many Internet companies, investors and analysts contend a huge pool is key to the company's ability to attract advertisers and generate a profit. But according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 36% of 1,067 people who have joined Twitter say they do not use it, while 7% say they have closed their account. You have to expect that drop off though with any new product. For instance, I haven't washed my Shamwow since I ran out of OxiClean after I dropped my George Foreman grill.   Twitter is a bit like a late night infomercial to be honest. It's got the cool factor, fun to use, but really offers more sizzle than steak. I don't tweet much for myself, but I get why people might want a virtual soap box. Say what you feel regardless if it's meant to entertain, notify, or provoke thought. But chances are few will read it. And if you're a regular pers...

"Social media" this!  #blahblahblah. Mark it on your calendar. By this time next year, I predict social media will be gone. And not just from my life.  Have you been reading all those stories having to do with social media fatigue?  There's been a plethora of personal accounts of people swearing off sharing, demonizing their digital dillydallying, repenting from the sins of all things posted. But anything with this much hype is bound to get backlash. Our society tends to demonize anything that gets too popular.   But this is not one of those bashing articles. I'm here to tell you social media is not an evil religious cult -- though I bet Satan hates those requests for Candy Crush Saga as much as the next guy.   Nor do I believe social media is addictive like nicotine. Like Mark Twain and smoking, I think quitting Facebook is easy, I've done it a thousand times -- I learned the first time I quit Facebook though, that wasn't the right approach. H...

"It's true. I didn't read this. I didn't even bother to read the title before I shared it. In fact, you've already read more of the article than I ever will. That's because many Twitter retweets are done digitally through robots.  Or maybe a service found the phrase "social media" and it "Liked" it under my Facebook profile. I wonder if the author named the article what he did to prove a point?" He did.  Last week, I was checking statistics to see who had retweeted my last article on wanting social media to be less narcissistic . (The irony of that last statement is not lost on me, but I digress.) The great thing about Facebook, Twitter and other social networks is that nearly everything can be tracked and traced. I was pleased to see marketers, other business professionals, as well as plain ol' regular folks, had liked the article enough to share it with others.  But as I continued perusing the list, I spotted a ton of ph...

  What is Zen and the Art of Social Media Sushi? Patience, grasshopper.  Put down your Facebook and Twitter posting software for a moment and I will explain. Famous, recognizable people can be seen all over Los Angeles. In the neighborhood I live, I recognize one every day. But when I walk into my favorite Japanese restaurant for a quick bite, you would think Elvis had entered the building -- when he was alive, I mean.  Few writers are so recognizable that they fall into celebrity status -- and I am certainly not one of those. Nor are writers often big spenders -- not exactly the highest paying profession in the world. But tonight the chef came out of the kitchen just to shake my hand. The new hostess and server introduced themselves. The manager bowed. And last night I just walked by and the owner waived wildly when he saw me. There seems to be are as many Japanese restaurants in L.A. as there are celebrities, but to my Japanese restaurant, I am royalty. A true c...