14 in 2014! My 14 Predictions of Trends for the New Year! Vblog

Happy New Year!

I will have a detailed written blog at midnight tonight but in the meantime, here's my Vblog to get you thinking!

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Jingle Bells, Social Sells!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!!

I love social selling, and the impact it has on business.   Social selling is shown to drive measurable results.   The Best Reps are not just present in Social Media, they position themselves as credible and influential sources in customer networks.

In a recent joint study conducted by WetPaint and the Altimeter Group of the top 100 brands engaged in social media, a significant correlation was drawn between a brands depth of social media engagement and revenue growth. Companies that scored the highest marks for social media activity, on average had increases in revenue growth of 18% over the last 12 months, while social media laggards saw revenues drop 6% over the same period.

Tell me your experiences!

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IBM's 5 in 5-- five predictions about technology innovations

I am so excited about this year's 5 in 5 -- five predictions about technology innovations that will change the way we work, live and interact over the next five years. This year's 5 in 5 explores the idea that everything will learn – driven by a new era of cognitive systems that learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalized way. These innovations are being made possible through advances in cloud, Big Data, analytics and learning technologies.

Tell me what you think!!!

1. The classroom will learn about you. The classroom of the future will learn about students over the course of their education, helping each student master the skills critical to meeting their goals. A system fueled by sophisticated analytics over the cloud will help teachers predict which students are most at risk, their roadblocks, and measures they can take to overcome challenges.

2.  Buying local will beat online. Savvy retailers will use the immediacy of the physical store and proximity to customers to create experiences that cannot be replicated by virtual retailers. They will magnify the digital experience by bringing the web right to where the shopper can physically touch it or the instant gratification of same-day delivery.

3. Doctors will routinely use your DNA to keep you well. Computers will help doctors understand how a tumor affects a patient down to their DNA and present a collective set of medications shown to best attack the cancer, reducing the time it takes to find the right treatment from weeks and months to days and minutes.

4. A digital guardian will protect you online. Security will become more agile and contextual based on a 360 degree view of an individual's data, devices and applications. Your digital guardian will make inferences about what's normal or reasonable activity and what's not, and be able to spot deviations that could be precursors to an attack and a stolen identity.

5.  The city will help you live in it. Smarter cities will understand how billions of events occur as computers learn in real time to understand what people need and like, what they do, and how they move from place to place. Mobile devices and social engagement will enable citizens to strike up a relationship with city leaders so their voices will be heard not only on election day, but every day.


NRF is coming! All my favorite things - social, mobile, and shopping!

Please come and join us!

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Country music has all (3 of) the Social Business Answers! Crowdsource more!

Country music has all the Social Business Answers!

Yes, I confess, I LOVE country music.  How could you not living in Texas?  I two-stepped my way through a good part of my life!   As I was crooning to some tunes today, I noticed that country songs really teach great social lessons.

Top 3 Lessons From Country Songs and lyrics!

1.  Blame it all on my roots, showed up in my boots.
This lesson is all about being real.  Yes, I have shown up to a wedding in hidden cowboy boots!  In Social, you need to showcase your brand's personality.    You can’t buy attention anymore. Having a huge budget doesn’t mean anything in social media…The old paradigm was pay to play. Now you get back what you authentically put in. You’ve got to be willing to play to play.  To really do well in Social, you must be Authenticate.   Wear your boots!!!

2. If the Phone Don't Ring, It's Me Not Calling You Up
Be an active participant.    Those who comment are looking for information and engagement.  Engagement with your active participants is about pulling them into more active involvement with your brand.   An Active participant is someone that comments, rates, or authors content in a social networking system on a regularly basis.  By communicating with these important folks regularly , you can build your brand army.  Your brand army is a group of unpaid and paid advocates (that is, your employees!) that engage on behalf of your brand is invaluable.   So ring that phone and answer!  Do both!

3,  Love Me Like My Dog Does.

Yes, your dog loves you no matter what!  They engage you --- and jump up and down if you just walk in the door.   How do you respond to your clients?   What's your engagement and connection?  Your emotional connection with your client or employee usually created by exceptional experiences that are integrated, interactive and identifying.  A Social Business  connects people to expertise. It connects individuals whether customers, partners or employees as networks of people to generate new sources of innovation, foster creativity, and establish greater reach and exposure to new business opportunities. It establishes a foundational level of trust across these business networks and thus a willingness to openly share information, developing a deeper sense of loyalty among customers and employees. It empowers these networks with the collaborative, gaming and analytical tools needed to engage each other and creatively solve business challenges.

I know there are more!  Share another one with me while I 2-step away!!!


Holiday Shopping Trends Leverage Mobile, Social

Happy Social Business Coffee Break!  Today we will focus on the season's fun of shopping -- discussing the latest trends from Black Friday, CyberMonday, and shopping for the holidays!!!

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36 Rules of Social Media Infographic!

As you guys know, Saturday is my posting of my favorite infographic!!!

This one has great quotes and insights on Social!  ENJOY!

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Open up to Client Influence the Social Way!

Happy Monday!  This coffee break is dedicated to those companies who always put the client first!

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