Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

63 Twitter Tools and One Word of Advice

Whenever I talk about Twitter at an event, if the conference is one of the many dedicated to social media people are chomping at the bit to tell me, even with their body language, what I should know and do on Twitter. If the conference is one of the many attended by people other than the few of us on Twitter and social media, then all I get is blank stares. Yes, believe it or not, there are conferences left out there that are not about social media. No, I don't think you need a Twitter degree [hat tip Mark... Read more →

Change Agents, Meet Alex Grech, Change Incubator

We struck an interesting conversation the first time he commented. I've always held a fascination for Malta - and he lives there. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about the island. I also love the fact that he speaks not only Maltese, English and conversational French - he speaks Italian, too. A Brit with 30 years’ experience in business strategy and change management and who is quite involved in the island's education and culture. I do like the idea of shaping business, which is how he describes his work, and that seems to be his strong suit. Alex has many... Read more →

Corporate Bloggers: Look Outside the Walls, not Inside for Content Ideas

Feel uninspired? Need more time to think about a post? Dreading the moment when you will sit down to write? It's probably because you're literally drawing inspiration and ideas only from one pool of experience - your company's. Don't get me wrong, it's important to ground what you say in your organization's bread and butter, it's what makes the business unique, different, a contribution. What makes a blog approachable, lively, and... a blog is its contact with the rest of the world - all those people who do not live your reality day in day out. Some of them are... Read more →

It's Simple, Fix the Problem

Probably one of the most frustrating aspects of being on either side of the customer service conversation is a miss or a fail on execution. On the other hand, the best feeling and experience both parties have happens when the problem is fixed. Your ability to fix problems is by and large what propels you forward in your career. Why is this then that so many organizations over complicate execution to the point of stifling the customer and employee experience? Don't answer that. Let's instead take a look at how making everything simpler without needing to change the rules and... Read more →

The Power of Conversation! Conversation Agent Now #5 on AdAge Power 150

The power of conversation, indeed. Conversation Agent ranked at number 5 on AdAge Power150 yesterday - a mere four spots from Seth Godin. While everyone else is talking about Facebook vanity URLs, I want to talk about the significance of lists - why they matter, why they don't. The more things change, the more they stay the same Lists are not new. Think about the New York Times Best Seller list, the Fortune 500 annual ranking of America's largest corporations, and Interbrand Best Global Brands for example. They are ways to create ranked directories that will make those companies and... Read more →

Can You Turn Simple into Simply Amazing?

[Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009 - 5:37] What could be simpler than riding a bike? You've probably done it since you were a kid. Watch this video and you'll never think of riding a bike the same way again. Nor will you stop at good enough when you can have amazing. It's the same in business. You're doing the same thing as your competitors. But this guy is doing it in a way which sets him apart. Watch him as he finds the right moment to jump, to glide, to turn, to wait, to go. You can tell... Read more →

The Success Game vs. the Contribution Game

It looks to me like marketing and social media are fundamentally at odds with each other at the moment. Marketing as done today is very much about the success game; the "show me the money" moment where professionals are constantly moving from obstacle to obstacle to overcome prospects resistance. It interrupts people in the most disparate places while they're on their way to doing what they wanted to do or being where they wanted to be. Social media is about engaging the social part (mostly) and it speaks the language and philosophy of contribution. While there are many attempts made... Read more →

The Agency Side of Business: Larry Weintraub, Fanscape

I've always been fascinated by the entertainment business, and a couple of weeks ago we learned a thing or two about sound design from Diego Stocco. Larry Weintraub and I met when speaking on the same panel at Mediabistro Circus a week ago. He is the CEO and co-founder of Fanscape, a company that believes in creating a better connection between brands and consumers. Over lunch we talked about the state of marketing communications, media, and our respective projects. This is my follow up conversation with Larry about his work. How did you come to the decision to start your... Read more →

Writing Engaging Content

Social media and the explosion of (potential) digital destinations has bubbled up the question about content. What is best to write about? How much do you need to write to attract readers and buyers? How long should posts be? And occasionally, still, what is a blog? One thing is for sure, everyone is looking for definitions and "how to's". This is a slightly, if not totally different question you were asking yourself when you were considering a (more or less) static Web site. Over there, you learned to be more minimal, embed keywords in titles and throughout the page and... Read more →

Customer Service is already Social

In a way it's ahead of where the Web experience is moving towards, which is semantic and contextual. It's ahead because it includes one very important element, which smart automation doesn't, yet - trust. The reason why we continue to talk about influence - online and off line - is that with the explosion of information, we're looking for beacons to guide us through that noise. Customers - your customers - want to make the right decision. They don't want to go with a product or service that could let them down at any time. If there is a mistake... Read more →