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Join the Google+ Revolution Now

by Mark Burgess on January 24, 2012


By the end of 2012, analysts predict that Google+ will reach 400 million users. In its first 88 days the social platform’s growth rate outpaced Facebook and every other social network. Impressive, but, is it worth a small business owner’s time and energy to learn yet another social network? While Google+ is still just a fraction of the size of Facebook, its uses are already becoming apparent. Because of this, developing an understanding of the unique qualities of Google+ can help give your business a competitive edge on a new and expanding platform.
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Bio

Mark Burgess
Mark is managing partner and co-founder of Blue Focus Marketing, a social branding consultancy that helps brands realize the benefits of social media marketing. Mark is a marketing professor and expert social media blogger for AT&T Business Solutions. Mark's career spans B2B and B2C marketing, advertising, and professional services consulting. Mark led the PwC Global Web team, at McCann, headed the flagship L'Oreal and Sears accounts. At AT&T, led interactive marketing and multicultural marketing initiatives. Mark is ranked #37 in the world for Top Marketing Professors on Twitter, via Social Media Marketing Magazine. Follow me on Twitter at @mnburgess.

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Predicting the Future with Social Media

by Cheryl Burgess on January 12, 2012

Forget predictions from Nostradamus or the Mayan Calendar.  Now, we have companies like Recorded Future analyzing semantics and sentiments to foretell the future.  They do this by sorting through thousands of news publications, blogs, tweets, comments, trade journals, government web sites, financial databases, and more. Recorded Future sees ahead “By applying temporal analytics to what is written about the future, and by algorithmically crowd-sourcing the resulting temporal information, we can draw conclusions and gain insight.” [click to continue…]

Bio

Cheryl Burgess
Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) is a digital and social brand consultant, blogger, and speaker. Her knowledge of business strategy, passion for creative expression and social technology, helps businesses achieve the remarkable. She is Co-founder, Managing Partner of Blue Focus Marketing, a social branding consultancy. She has expertise in B2B marketing, social media, business continuity and crisis management. Cheryl is an expert blogger on social media topics for AT&T Business Solutions. She was named to the Huffington Post “Passionistas” for her “great business expertise and timeless blog posts”. Cheryl was featured in Fast Company. Winner of the 2011 and 2010 Twitter Shorty Award in Marketing [The New York Times hails this as the Oscar of Twitter]. She serves on the Advisory Board of B2Community and B2BTOTY, a B2B Award for the top engaging companies on Twitter. Cheryl is a syndicated blogger for B2Community, B2B Marketing Zone, Social Media Informer and contributing blogger for Crowdshifter.com and 12most.com. She is the co-founder of #Nifty50 Top Twitter Women and #Nifty50 Top Twitter Men. Also, a recipient of #BA75.

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Out with the Old (Marketing) And In With the New

by Mark Burgess December 20, 2011

The power of television in the 1950’s gave advertisers the ability to push messages out to a mass audience. Internet marketer HubSpot believes that shoving unwelcome messages at consumers is like using a sledgehammer. An outbound marketing strategy is based on the hope that mass messages will resonate with prospects. “This traditional, one-way marketing doesn’t [...]

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2012 Social Media Business Trends

by Cheryl Burgess December 6, 2011

As the end of the year draws near, it’s time to start looking at social media trends for 2012. Businesses should get ready for seismic shifts on the digital landscape. Competition will intensify as the rules of marketing are further altered by social media, mobile web and all in real-time.  For businesses that don’t start [...]

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Recalibrating Education and Businesses with Social Media Technology – Rewards & Awards

by Cheryl Burgess December 1, 2011

Our lives are being transformed with the worldwide explosion of rapidly advancing social technologies.   Today, many businesses are rapidly evolving and increasingly becoming social businesses.   What we are discovering, though not surprising, is that social technologies are empowering consumers. Yet, there is a talent gap growing between the skills of new marketing and advertising jobs [...]

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Facebook Breaks the Marketing Sound Barrier for Small Business

by Mark Burgess November 22, 2011

How Facebook Can Make Your Small Business Soar A recent Capital One TV ad features comedian Jimmy Fallon politely asking a somewhat indifferent baby boy in a high chair: “Would you like 50% more cash?  Everybody likes more cash!” Convinced no one could possibly refuse such an offer, much to Jimmy’s surprise, the kid responds [...]

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How to ignite your business with Twitter: The X Factor

by Cheryl Burgess November 8, 2011

Everyone seems to have a Twitter handle these days:  News reporters, celebrities, restaurants, friends, and your business contacts.  Twitter usage has skyrocketed to over 100 million active accounts.  Moreover, this dynamic social medium can be the X factor for your business. A game-changer, Twitter offers you the ability to strategically build and leverage your business [...]

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How to create future brands

by Cheryl Burgess September 27, 2011

 Brands are on a Transformational Journey The future. Coming soon! Imagine for a moment that brands are on a magical conveyor belt; propelled by the fusion of technology and humanization, moving toward a place called brand relevancy. The brand’s momentum could slow, increase or stop depending on each brand’s ability to remain relevant to customers.  [...]

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Secret Sauce for Small Business: Building Social Media Communities

by Cheryl Burgess August 23, 2011

“Social Media Communities Empower Small Businesses” (Part 2 of a 3 part series) Twitter is an amazing place to meet interesting people and join communities.   But sometimes “amazing” is an understatement when it comes to Twitter relationships.

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For Small Business, Social Media is Word-of-Mouth Struck by Lightning

by Mark Burgess August 15, 2011

“Demystifying social media for small business” (This is Part 1 of a 3 part series on how small businesses can use social media to build communities to grow their business.  In part 2, we will talk to several experts for advice on how to leverage social media.) Successful small businesses have always focused on people [...]

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