Straight Talk Blog
Ted RubinGo With the Flow as You Grow ~via @Progressive
Growth is a key goal for any small business, but it’s important to pursue it through tactics that fit your long-term plan. Too much growth too soon often leads to a drop in quality, which makes that growth unsustainable. There are many challenges that come with growth...
Marketing Predictions 2016: 3 Thought Leaders Weigh In ~via @Workfront_Inc
If you’re like us, dear marketer, you’ve probably been in planning mode since October, already living mentally in 2016. Now the rest of the world has finally caught up with you. Yes, it’s true. The year 2016 has arrived and with it a new crop of challenges and...
Top 5 Tips For Explosive Return On Relationship ~via @JoelComm
Joel: My buddy Ted Rubin is a social marketing strategist and brand evangelist who really understands building relationships. In episode #47 of the Top 5 Scope, we discuss five tips for explosive return on relationship. About the Author Joel Comm is an Internet...
Use Digital Listening to Connect with Customers ~via @Workfront_Inc
When it comes to getting to know your customers, knowing how to “look people in the eye digitally” has never been more important. Picking up the phone is often the last option for most consumers today. They can get everything they need to make a buying decision online...
Is the Brand Love Affair with Snapchat Sustainable?
The buzz surrounding Snapchat for brands is definitely at a high decibel level. And just like other new social apps, there are lots of tutorials and how-to articles being created on a daily basis to show you how to get the most out of the platform. But what happens...
Don’t Miss @SMSummitIRL March 1-2, Interview ~via @irish_technews #SMSummitIRL
Very excited to be traveling to Dublin February 26th until March 4th. The warmth of the Irish community has been overwhelming and has caused me to rearrange my calendar to arrive a weekend early to enjoy more of their hospitality. If you are attending, feel free to...
Don't Miss @SMSummitIRL March 1-2, Interview ~via @irish_technews #SMSummitIRL
Very excited to be traveling to Dublin February 26th until March 4th. The warmth of the Irish community has been overwhelming and has caused me to rearrange my calendar to arrive a weekend early to enjoy more of their hospitality. If you are attending, feel free to...
Understanding the Risks (and Benefits) of Rebranding ~@Progressive
Running a successful small business often requires a willingness to take reasonable risks. If you wish to expand your business, introduce a new product or bring in new employees, there will always be some risk that the new “normal” won’t work as well as the old one....
The 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...