Straight Talk Blog
Ted RubinThe Real Story Behind #TedSockie ~via @oraclesocial
OracleSocial: Ok, I have to ask. What’s the deal with the socks? Do you plan your outfit around your socks? Ted: I’m playful. Socks have become part of my personal brand since 2010. It started because people noticed I was wearing funky socks at conferences. It creates...
Today's Social Media Challenge for Younger Generations
One of the biggest challenges for the younger generations today, in business and trying to make their mark by building their personal brands via social platforms, is that all their screw-ups and "young" mistakes are out in public display for everyone to see. When I...
Look Vendors and Partners in the Eye Digitally ~via @Progressive
People matter. As you work to grow your small business, the relationships you establish with those who help you run it play a major role in your success. You get to know some of them (like your employees) pretty well through everyday interaction; vendors and partners,...
The Groundbreaking Technology of #CES2016… Relationships! #RonR ~via @Katadhin
#RonR... Return on Relationship Wow, I'm on the plane back to Raleigh and processing through all the tech I just experienced in the past couple days at CES2016 with my business colleague and buddy Ted Rubin. Drones, self-driving cars, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality...
Empathy: The Groundwork for Building Lasting Relationships
The “and so it goes” phenomenon of going back to school that was so prevalent when school started again this year reminded me of how important milestones are to the people experiencing them, and why we need to cultivate empathy in all of our relationships (especially...
Be Truly Present, Be Good to People
Ted Rubin, Future Strong Hero Interview ~via Bill Jensen Social Marketing Strategist, Acting CMO of Brand Innovators Author, Return on Relationship • • • • • • • • • • • How do you stay Future Strong? Back in 1997, I was with working with Seth Godin at Yoyodyne when...
Reinvention Conversation with Ted Rubin ~via @hollisthomases
A long-time digital veteran and pioneer, Ted Rubin has worked for some of the most prestigious brands in sales and marketing leadership and has authored several best-selling books including "Return on Relationship." Key Reinvention Take-Aways from Ted's Interview: Be...
How to innovate: Create a conversation, not a presentation ~via @hybris_software
When tapping your company’s brain trust to come up with new ways to tackle problems or innovate new products or services, what’s the best way to move forward? If you’re thinking about brainstorming, you’ve got a lot of company. However, I believe that while the...
It’s Not OK to…
IT'S NOT OK... It is not ok to just use social channels to just broadcast. It is not ok to simply advertise and call it Social Media. It is not ok to block employees from accessing social media sites while at work. It is not ok to discourage...
It's Not OK to…
IT'S NOT OK... It is not ok to just use social channels to just broadcast. It is not ok to simply advertise and call it Social Media. It is not ok to block employees from accessing social media sites while at work. It is not ok to discourage...
So… What is #NoLetUp! ???
There’s a buddy of mine named Tony Luisi, whom I met when I was at 1-800-Flowers. He was on my team and supported me with corporate sales and a lot of other things. A very active guy, a ball player and a Dad, Tony started using the phrase “No Let Up,” with regard to...
Let’s Help Everyone in 2016 "Metaphorically Skip" With Every Interaction
Need to lower the stress from a frustrating workday or find a way to put yourself in that “happy” place? Learn from children and skip. I’m not kidding! It might sound silly, but it really isn’t. The act of skipping (with or without a rope) involves both sides of the...
Let’s Help Everyone in 2016 “Metaphorically Skip” With Every Interaction
Need to lower the stress from a frustrating workday or find a way to put yourself in that “happy” place? Learn from children and skip. I’m not kidding! It might sound silly, but it really isn’t. The act of skipping (with or without a rope) involves both sides of the...
Ted Rubin: Future Strong Hero Interview ~via @simpletonbill
Ted Rubin is a leading social marketing strategist, speaker, brand evangelist and Acting CMO of Brand Innovators, and in 2009 began evangelizing the term ROR: Return on Relationship. He is one of today’s top Future Strong heroes — top leaders, change makers and...
A CONVERSATION WITH: Social Media Strategist Ted Rubin ~via @LeadershipandMo
Today leadership is about more than getting things done through others and business is more than just return on investment and the bottom line. Today, employees and customers want the same things; they want an experience, a connection and a relationship that goes...
Children Can Teach “Us”… Let’s Not Miss Those Lessons!
We talk and write a lot about what we are teaching our children and what they are learning from us – but if we only focus on one side of this teaching/learning relationship, we are missing some of the greatest examples of our lives... let's remember all we can learn...
Who Should Manage Corporate Social Media? Two Experts Weigh In ~via @CreativeGroup
Should PR or marketing be responsible for corporate social media activities? It’s a common point of contention for businesses. While the jury is still out, research shows one group may be gaining favor. When it comes to social media, a lot has changed in the last two...
How To Look People In The Eye Digitally – Book Interview ~via @HeidiCohen
Q: What’s your best piece of advice for readers looking to improve their marketing? Over the years I’ve been asked by a lot of people how they can be more successful in building relationships on social channels. And the one thing that keeps coming to the surface is...
Network Gives You Reach… Community Gives You Power!
When we look at professional networks, it's easy to get hung up on reach—the more the better, basically. And reach is good! In sales and marketing, you want a large group of people who understand what you have to offer. Reach just doesn't tell the whole story. A...
How to Resolve Omnichannel Conflicts Within Your Company ~via @SAPcec @hybris_software
We often hear a lot about omnichannel marketing from an external viewpoint, but I think it’s also important to look at it from an internal perspective. Is your internal communication structure helping to build consistent company messaging and culture or is there...
Let’s Make this a “Social” Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving, the time when we give thanks not just FOR, but TO those who have been an important part of our lives. This year, I propose we all try a Social Thanksgiving – one where we focus on the true meaning and value of relationships, and take the time to pay...
Let's Make this a "Social" Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving, the time when we give thanks not just FOR, but TO those who have been an important part of our lives. This year, I propose we all try a Social Thanksgiving – one where we focus on the true meaning and value of relationships, and take the time to pay...
Let's Make this a "Social" Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving, the time when we give thanks not just FOR, but TO those who have been an important part of our lives. This year, I propose we all try a Social Thanksgiving – one where we focus on the true meaning and value of relationships, and take the time to pay...
Ask The Expert: Ted Rubin On Content Creation and Sharing ~via @Venngage
Ted Rubin is a content marketing expert and professional keynote speaker. His site TedRubin.com has a wealth of information about content creation, SEO strategizing, business growth, personal branding, child rearing and life living. We asked Ted the question, “What is...
Why Marketing is Best Suited to Manage Corporate Social Media
Why is Marketing best suited to manage corporate social media activities? At the core social media activities are a function of Marketing, just as PR, Communications and Customer Service should be. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes...
Physical Retailing Is Over (as we know it) ~via @Katadhin
My introductory commentary to John's (@Katadhin) post below... Always insightful posts via the guy I look to for the future of retail insight, thanks John Andrews. Will big, retail location stores become a thing of the past? Will our way of life change dramatically?...
An Inspiration in My Life
Ira Gibel was my Junior High and High School Wrestling Coach and Roz is his wife. Ira and Roz taught me about never giving up, loyalty to friends and family, and that learning never ends. I cannot express how much it has meant to me all these years. Ira taught me that...
Looking People In The Eye Digitally [audio interview] ~ via @RealYLSavitskiy
Ted Rubin is one of the world’s leading social marketing strategists and brand evangelists. Ted is the acting Chief Marketing Officer of Brand Innovators and a sought after keynote speaker. Forbes Magazine ranked Ted as #13 on its list of Social Media Power...
How to Build Relationships to Grow Your Business with Ted Rubin ~via @MrSimpleMedia [audio]
What is the value of a Relationship Online? Ted Rubin and I discuss how to “Look Someone in the eye digitally”, what the return on a relationship is (#RonR), and how to fill your blog and social networks with content at the click of a button. #RonR... #NoLetUp!...
Roles of the CMO and CIO
The CMO should oversee all marketing, PR, communications, customer service, and customer experience management. Every touch point with the consumer needs to come under her purview. Often this is not the case—customer service and communications are often siloed. This...