Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

34 Reasons to Start a Blog

We discussed how social media is like sharecropping -- you help build a network with your content and it may decide to delete your account if it changes rules or there is a glitch. Both Flickr and Facebook have given us examples of that action. The effects of those actions have been devastating for the people who had put time and care into building a presence with their content. That is one of the reasons why I have been and continue to be strongly in favor of blogs. Starting a blog shows commitment to a topic, industry, group, project, brand,... Read more →

Treating Women Differently

“Women customers behave differently.” Is this assumption true? An article that is no longer available online described a list of the behaviors that derail gender inclusion in organizations. But reading through it becomes evident that they are behaviors that derail effective work, period. Worse, they are behaviors that prevent an organization from serving its customers. The list is fairly comprehensive. When we work in an organizations where people: Decide not to do an assessment, build a plan, set goals, or establish benchmarks Task a small group of committed, passionate people with designing and implementing a change initiative—and expect them to... Read more →

Should You be Pitching me?

You give me way too much credit if you think your potential customers read my blog. You misunderstand and misapply influence and you're giving away your inexperience with new media. Let's be clear, I still like you, I just find it easy to skip over your pitch. Go build your own audience. New media is not traditional media, only on blogs. PR is very much in need of a reinvention beyond pitching bloggers press releases, signing people up to moderate communities, and building lists instead of relationships. What does it take to do PR in new media? I'm thinking that... Read more →

Why Believing is the Most Important Thing You can Do

Last night we all headed to the Roger Smith Hotel to celebrate Greg Verdino's book launch, microMARKETING. It was great to be in the same room with my colleagues and many long time friends. It made me realize how valuable it is to spend time with people when attending conferences and events. Having talked and connected in the past provided an opportunity to catch up and find out how everyone is doing. It was also interesting to talk with professional communicators, public relations people, marketers, and customer service people who have acquired deep experience in social media by helping companies... Read more →

How to Develop a Case Study

Did you know that case study is an expression marketers and sales professionals borrowed from science? When we talk about case studies, what we mean is a bit simpler, although getting to the results takes work. We mean telling the story of how we progressed through solving a problem and delivering results. The structure of a case study varies slightly, depending on its use. However generally there is one way to construct the flow: (1.) situation or challenge -- tell me what happened, what problem needed solving and set it up in a way that will give me measurable goals.... Read more →

Why is Revenge so Important to us?

And why can large bonuses make CEOs less productive? Good questions both, why? Psychology and behavioral economics professor Dan Ariely has been researching these kinds of questions throughout his career. In The Upside of Irrationality he explores the surprising effects of irrationality in our lives -- both negative and positive. Alexandre Duma's The Count of Monte Cristo is a perfect example: the protagonist, Edmond Dantes, spends many years in prison under false charges. He eventually escapes and finds a treasure left to him by a fellow prisoner that transforms his life. Under an assumed identity as the Count of Monte... Read more →

Staggering Discovery: Goal-Oriented Content Works

Apathy doesn't sell. I was discussing content marketing with a business acquaintance the other day. He paused, thought about it for a moment, then said, "you mean what a company does that helps people. In that case, what they do should be obvious on their Web site. I want to get it instantly, not have to dig around." I think it goes beyond the clear explanation. As much as that helps people find you who need that kind of help. It needs to convey meaning. And something else: it needs to meet the reader and potential buyer where they are... Read more →

21 Quotes that Illuminate the Value of Customer Conversations

Who do we give our business to? Social media's biggest impact is the ability of customers to engage in relationships with businesses. Doing our homework includes asking our friends and family for a recommendation, but also reading ratings and reviews. Google search weighs in as well, from travel sites to technology. People in our networks and strangers have become believable sources thanks to blogs, and also product and service reviews. Smart businesses are part of the conversation, soliciting feedback beyond the Net Promoter Score (NPS). For example, by reaching out to customers who've made a purchase with questions others customers... Read more →

Are You Keeping up with the Joneses Online?

You have all kinds of neighbors. From helpful, to noisy (if you live in a flat you know what that means), nosy ones and ones you get along with perfectly. In fact, you could say the same for the office, and social networks. Everywhere there are people, you have people dynamics. And now, there are also neighbors like the Jones family. They are just there for one reason: to sell things. Things they make you feel you need, because your neighbors have them. Although the movie is quite subtle, it drives home one thing: that there is a kind of... Read more →

Dangers and Advantages To Taking Action

This is the topic of today's #kaizenblog chat. Elli St. George Godfrey has written a really good framing post for it -- to do or not to do: the real question. The pendulum has swung way on the other side when it comes to talk -- everyone is talking about doing. We need to be careful not to throw the baby with the bathwater. The opposite of action is inaction, not thinking or talking. We think to process information and visualize where we will apply our energy -- everywhere may not be an option and plans are good maps to... Read more →