I spent a couple of hours yesterday hanging out in Harvard Square waiting for my older son to finish a Boy Scout merit badge “camp.”  I did what I usually do when I have time on my hands, headed for the bookstore.  (In this case, the Harvard Coop.)  I had a list of books that I have been meaning to pick up and random browsing in a bookstore is one of my favorite hobbies — not an inexpensive hobby.  I picked up Chris Brogan’s book, Social Media 101, which I knew from reading his blog was a collection of blog posts.  The book is (supposedly)  intended for people who are still a little unclear about social media. But I still bought the book.  (There’s another blog in my future about the book itself.)  Why?  Because I read books for inspiration. (more…)

Every once in a while I teach a class on social media marketing for Lexington Community Education.  (I also do private sessions for small groups and in corporate settings where I am frequently called upon to provide expert guidance for agencies, corporate PR and marketing departments.)  Recently, one of my former students tracked me down while I was speaking on a panel of local female entrepreneurs.  She’s part of a book group comprised mostly of marketers and they are currently reading Groundswell.  “Great place to start,” say I.  Now the group wants to know what they should read next. (more…)

This coming week I am going to be part of a panel of local women entrepreneurs speaking about Women in Business.  (This was organized by Andrea Paquette from the Lexington Community Education program where I regularly teach a class on using social media to market your business.)  I have to admit to being torn about being identified as a female entrepreneur.  I wonder if  this is a dated concept or if there is really and truly a unique set of challenges, issues and concerns for women.  Are we still in need of extra assistance?  Do we need our own special panel? (more…)

The more you know about online marketing, the more you realize that writers will eventually rule the earth.  Don’t pity the journalists and former journalists, they who have the ability to pump out engaging stories, they will be just fine in this era of The Newspaper Death Watch.  Everyone’s looking for good speedy writers and a daily reporter has all the right stuff. (more…)

This week I’ve been busy putting together various marketing plans for 2010.  My simple nine-step action plan for increasing PageRank for one site is a lot more work than it sounds like.  Can you spot the steps that will require practically full-time resources?  Morale of the story: SEO, it’s real work. (more…)

Over the last year, I have performed several marketing diagnostics for various companies.  I spend anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks with a company and provide a broad analysis of their marketing efforts, a plan for moving forward, and, often, on-the-spot training.  It’s one of my favorite assignments, and one of the services I provide that I feel truly helps companies be more successful.  Because, one of the things I have discovered, is that marketing is too easy… (more…)

Today I got forwarded a “sales tip” that talked about “Being OK with No.”  The gist of the piece was that sometimes it is better to walk away than waste your time on a prospect that 1) said “no” or 2) isn’t right for you in the first place.  Let it be a learning experience and move on. (more…)

Friday night I went to a local Boston social media event hosted by Jeff Cutler and Mike Langford, two of my favorite Boston-area social media buddies.  As far as I am concerned, Jeff and Mike could host a sandwich bag opening and I would be checking my red  Franklin Covey planner for availability.  And, I had heard so much about @GaryVee that I figured I had a good opportunity for a high value event.  But I have to make a couple of confessions first… (more…)

Over the years I have had dozens of interns, probably hundreds, from colleges all over New England.  Sometimes I have had one intern at a time.  Other times I have had up to nine interns working for me simultaneously.  I’m still in touch with lots of my former interns – some of them, more than 20 years later.  They are a great group of people and I am honored I got to work with them.

Over the years I have developed a method of managing the primary logistics of internships that has worked quite well for me and the interns.  As I have installed this process in several companies, it has even perpetuated a bit.  So, by request, here’s an overview.  (Note: This has little to do with the actual management of the interns themselves but more the process surrounding their internship.) (more…)

On Friday I was part of a team involved in The Quest for Innovation — a unique initiative bringing together the New England innovation economy to celebrate entrepreneurship and innovative advances in Boston.  The  MassInno team — brought together under the flag of the innovation-focused event I run monthly in Waltham, was evenly divided between entrepreneurs and marketers — and we were able to do this with our team of 7 because some of the marketers are in the midst of starting up businesses themselves. (more…)