Forbes Top 40 Social Selling Cheryl Burgess

Social marketing is a tricky proposition. To be successful, one must develop a strong presence on social channels, but they must do so without appearing pushy, needy, vain, or otherwise undesirable and unworthy of attention. At its core, this means that skills like listening and sharing take center stage, while self-promotion needs to be on the backburner. Here at Blue Focus Marketing, in order to achieve this balance we adhere to the 80/20 rule—make your content 80 percent about celebrating the success of others, and 20 percent about yourself. By sharing in this way, one can build a strong, thriving community in no time flat.

Naturally, there are nuances to the process. So to become one of the best, one needs to watch what the best are doing. Yesterday, Forbes (@Forbes) featured a list of the top 40 marketing masters in social business. The list was first released by KiteDesk (@Sean_h_Burke Sean Burke, Chiefe Revenue Officer) (@KiteDesk) in conjunction with research by the marketing firm Evolve!, Inc. (led by CEO @markfidelman). Here is the list:

 

It was a tremendous honor and quite a surprise to come in at #34. But looking up and down the list, I see so many wonderful people on there who deserve all the congratulations they can get. It has been an absolute honor to interact and work with so many of them.

Special congratulations go to Gary Vaynerchuck (#1; @GaryVee), whose book we profiled a few months ago; Sandy Carter (#13; @sandy_carter), who helped us immensely with interviews and promotion for our book The Social Employee (McGraw-Hill, 2013); Michael Brenner (#16; @BrennerMichael), who featured our book in his ebook and whose blog continues to inspire us; Vala Afshar (#17; @ValaAfshar), who contributed so generously to our book and whose own book was a great guide for us while writing; David Armano (#22; @armano), who provided us with valuable insights both in producing and promoting our book; and last but certainly not least, David Edelman (#39; @davidedelman), who provided us with a brilliant Forword for our book (among all the other brilliant things he does, Mari Smith (@MariSmith) who wrote endorsed my book and wrote a wonderful blurb,  and my dear friend Jeff Bullas (#8; @JeffBullas). Also, special thank you to Meghan M. Brio (@MeghanMBrio), Forbes contributor for generously quoting me (Insight #2) in her article.

Our thanks as well to everyone involved in the production of this list. This is what community looks like in action; I look forward to many more years of watching and learning from these seasoned pros!

Divider_Line_Blue_shadow

Below are recent endorsements for The Social Employee (McGraw-Hill, August 2013) by Tom Peters and David Aaker on their social networks, but if you want to see more of their endorsements click here.

Tom Peters CROP_W Favorite Biz Book Nov

 

Tom Peters (Twitter) attribution PPT

Tom Peters signature copy
In The Social Employee, we go behind the scenes with several leading brands—such as IBM, AT&T, Dell, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, Cisco, Acxiom, and Domo—pulling the lid off the inspiring social business success stories that have propelled these companies into the 21st century. These cutting-edge brands have all come to the same realization: the path to social business lies through empowering the social employee.

See what others are saying about The Social Employee and order your copy today!

 

Please check out @SocialEmployee media buzz! Click Here

Join @SocialEmployee Google+

“Great brands have always started on the inside, but why are companies taking so long to leverage the great opportunities offered by internal social media? . . . The Social Employee lifts the lid on this potential and provides guidance for businesses everywhere.” JEZ FRAMPTON, Global Chairman and CEO, Interbrand

TSE_Front_NEW3D

Amazon_agold-bookThe Social Employee offers an unparalleled behind-the-scenes look at the social business success stories of some of the biggest brand names in the business world, including IBM, AT&T, Dell, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, Cisco, Acxiom, and Domo. These cutting-edge brands have all come to the same realization: the path to social business lies through empowering the social employee.

The brands that leverage their employee base in order to engage customers and prospects through social media are the ones destined to win the marketing wars. This book not only details the astronomical rise of the social employee, but also outlines the innovative methods that leading companies have employed to foster cultures of enthusiastic and engaged workers.

FORMcGrawHill_RedEWORD by David C. Edelman, Global Co-Leader, Digital Marketing & Sales Practice, McKinsey & Company

AFTERWORD by Kevin Randall, Vice President of Brand Strategy & Research at
Movéo Integrated Branding, and journalist for The Economist and Fast Company

Download ~> Free Chapter 3 – “Brands Under Pressure”

 

 

Good things come to those who sign up for our newsletter.
Join our email list to get the latest insights straight to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE
Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime.
close-link