By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Social Media Explorer, TopRank, Financial Post, Forrester, Forbes, Copyblogger, and Startup North.
How data hype is destroying your social media ROI
We are all looking for the latest nugget of data that will help us optimize our social media strategies for success. Every time we see a post with an infographic about the best time to tweet or what social networks our audience is using we get excited thinking it’s just the right information to help us take our social media strategy to the next level. That’s why you see so many status updates hyping the data because it’s finally the answer we’ve been looking for … or is it?
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By Alexandra Reid
It is commonplace to see businesses participating on social media, but many are failing to achieve the delicate balance between self-promotion and providing value.
Worse, businesses are misunderstanding what promotion on social media entails. They’re shouting at their audiences while failing to provide any reason for them to listen.
Imagine walking into a cocktail party and, without listening for even a moment to the various conversations taking place, shouting at the top of your lungs about your latest company promotion to no one in particular. If it’s an exceptionally valuable deal like, “We’re giving away free Macbook Pros tomorrow at noon,” you might get some attention because the guests will quickly recognize how it benefits them. However, your less-than-charming approach will not leave the most positive and lasting impression about yourself or your company.
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By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are MarketingSherpa, Fast Company, MarketingProfs, SocialTimes, and Jeremiah Owyang.
Content marketing: 3 tips from the trenches
Short and sweet, MarketingSherpa provides three content marketing gems in this post.
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By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we read in the past week. On the podium this week are Velocity, Forrester, TopRank, The Washington Post, and Econsultancy.
‘You had me at hello’ – How to nail personalized marketing in B2B
Say “persona” to a marketer and nine times out of 10 he or she will need to fight an involuntary eye-roll reflex. Author Ryan Skinner is on a one-man mission to turn personas into the sexiest topic you work with. He covers a few simple ways to apply personas so that people see your marketing and think “Damn. I wish I did that.”
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By Alexandra Reid
As usual, we covered a lot of ground this month on our blog. We argued that RIM won’t commit suttee, why Harper’s free trade efforts need more thought, how Don Drummond’s arguments on Canadian business are flawed, and we also offered loads of advice for PR and marketing professionals.
Here are our posts from August, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
August 27: Harper’s free trade efforts need more thought by Denzil Doyle
August 29: Thinking outside the bunker by Leo Valiquette
August 30: Marketing’s hidden treasure map by Francis Moran
August 13: Secrets of bulletproof marketing implementation by Rob Woyzbun
August 8: 5 tips content marketers should take from journalists by Alexandra Reid
August 14: Five common content marketing mistakes by Alexandra Reid
August 1: Any press is not always good press, but it may pay dividends down the road by Leo Valiquette
August 28: 2012 B2B content marketing trends by Alexandra Reid
August 22: Inbound marketing: An alternative to traditional PR? by Alexandra Reid
August 23: Truth … and sincerity … in advertising by Leo Valiquette
August 2: Waterloo will not commit suttee on any RIM funeral pyre by Francis Moran
August 9: How to get the media’s attention with your dignity and reputation intact by Leo Valiquette
August 21: The case for inbound marketing: What’s in it for you? by Alexandra Reid
August 15: The buck has to stop with whoever owns the byline by Leo Valiquette
August 16: Unleash your inner consultant by Caroline Kealey
August 7: Don Drummond on productivity by Denzil Doyle
August 10: The worst marketing sin by Francis Moran
Image: Curt Fleenor Photography
By Alexandra Reid 
