Straight Talk Blog
Ted RubinIt’s time to take back our “Clout,” own it Ourselves, and declare our Independence from Klout
Yes, yes, yes I know… just a few short weeks ago I wrote about Klout and generally supported them -- not so much pleased with what they do, and how they do it, but acknowledging their ability to market themselves and make Klout relevant. But since then things have...
Is LBS Ready for Prime Time? See what @Katadhin of @CollectiveBias thinks…
Guest post by John Andrews, Founder/CEO Collective Bias. Originally posted at CollectiveBias blog Almost four years ago, I was attending SXSW with the Walmart Elevenmoms group. I was learning about social media from the people that were doing it by immersing myself...
Lessons from the Chapstick Social Media Fiasco
What do “butts,” “ChapStick,” and “social” have in common? They are all part of a recent huge—and very public – series of poor choices that have seriously impacted the reputation of a major brand. I actually pulled those three words from the categories assigned to...
What I want my daughters to know… that I love them unconditionally. What I want them to do… make a difference in the lives of others.
I did not get to be with my daughters this year for Thanksgiving. I do have time with them today and bring them back to my Aunt and Uncles where my whole family gathered for the holiday yesterday and stayed overnight. Spending time with my girls is something I put...
Make it 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: our friends and family, our customers, shoppers, advocates, and critics. Yes, I give thanks for ALL of them because they all provide a possibility for...
Make it 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: our friends and family, our customers, shoppers, advocates, and critics. Yes, I give thanks for ALL of them because they all provide a possibility for...
Make it 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: our friends and family, our customers, shoppers, advocates, and critics. Yes, I give thanks for ALL of them because they all provide a possibility for...
BrandsConf 2011: Panel, Movements, not Marketing: Brands centered in the values of human connections.
Klout Still Has Clout
What does it mean when the “Standard for Influence” company (Klout) makes a change in its algorithm that seems to suggest a change in its standard as many Klout “Online Success Scores” dropped significantly overnight? It means they’re crazy to make the change…or… are...
My presentation at Macaroni Kid Publisher Mom Annual Summit
Macaroni Kid Publisher Mom Meetup_Ted Rubin from Eric Cohen on Vimeo.
What Blog World Expo Taught Me About the Future of Social Media
I just spent three days in LA at Blog World (Blog World and New Media Expo #bwela), with some of my favorite people (bloggers and those connected to them), saturating myself with information while starting new and building on old relationships. As you probably know...
To Link or Not to Link Social Media Accounts?
One of my LinkedIn connections (Phil Masiello) recently asked me an important question – one that, in my opinion, everyone should be asking themselves if they haven’t already. Following is his question, with my response and a few additional thoughts: Phil: Ted, I...
12 Most Important Lessons We Can Learn from Children
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. Following are my 12 most important...
Return on Relationship™, ROR (#RonR) – Implications for Global Impact
We are at an incredibly important time in the evolution of “relationship commerce” (buying from people you know and trust). This is the time when our actions will decide if “relationship commerce” ends up as simply a phrase on a list of buzz words, or becomes an...
Macaroni Kid (@MacaronikidHQ) gets Return on Relationship™ (#RonR) right!
I recently had the honor of speaking at Macaroni Kid’s meetup (#MKmeetup) about Return on Relationship™ (#RonR), but it is clear to me that these women already get it -- they are an exciting example of what can be accomplished through the power of relationships....
Ted Rubin en Vidas al 100% via @CafedeColombia
Brand Immersion with Contests… Don’t Forget About the Relationship!
A well-structured contest -- wisely integrated in social media, encouraging participation of groups, and easily enabling the sharing and including of the social graph of participants -- will bring consumers into your brand experience. Savvy marketers can leverage...
12 Most Important Things We All Can Control
There are so many things in life that we simply cannot control (as is especially clear right now, around the 10 year anniversary of 9/11), but what about the things we CAN control? As human beings, we have the power of reasoning and choice, both of which give us...
Ted Rubin, Return on Relationship™, #RonR, at the Smart CMO Forum
@CollectiveBias’ Ted Rubin at #SMWF on social reputation and why it should matter to your business
Ted is a leading social marketing strategist and coined the term ROR: Return on Relationship, a concept he believes is the cornerstone for building an engaged multi-million member database, many of whom are vocal advocates for the brand, like the one he built for...
Ted Rubin at #140conf: ROR (#RonR)… Return on Relationship™
Let’s take back the word “Friend”!
Facebook has done an amazing thing – they now own the word “friend”. The problem is that they have devalued the word while adding value to their brand. Let’s take back the word “friend” and fill it with value again! How many of you use “air quotes” when you say...
Introducing my new best (travel) friend… from @BriggsandRiley #BRXTravelGear
You might think that with a life so focused on social media, my business travel would be limited… but I practice what I preach about balancing online and offline presence and spend a LOT of time traveling. I just returned from a fantastic trip to Colombia for...
Café de Colombia – Branding at Its Best
I met Juan Valdez -- yes, the “actual” Juan Valdez -- this week (more on that at the end of this post)! The fact that I am genuinely excited about this, and that you likely know who (and what) I’m referencing here says a lot about the success of this brand. Café de...
How to find the online/offline balance in marketing
With the ongoing emphasis on maximizing marketing campaigns by using online communication and tools, we need to remember that consumers still exist – and often still operate in – the bricks and mortar world. Marketers/Brands must carefully blend both online and...
How Social Media Can Generate Real $$$
Yes, social media can generate business dollars -- very real and measurable dollars. As I said in a recent Tweet, “… Awareness=Revenues. Differentiators=Margins. Authenticity=Loyalty. ALL measurable.” The concepts are similar to traditional media marketing, but they...
12 Most Significant Reasons I Love Bloggers and You Should Too
Bloggers are amazing people who add a great deal of value to my life and work – and in my social media saturated work/life, that means a great deal! Every day I am thrilled to be part of the awesome blogger community, and here’s why you (and your brand) need to love...
Is Your Marketing Igniting Shopper Purchase …or Shopper Spam Filters?
Marketers used to be able to get away with intrusive advertising, placing online ads as pop-ups, highly distractive Flash animations, and a variety of other methods designed specifically to grab shoppers’ attention. However, consumers have changed and are no longer...
12 Most Important Ways to Build Brand Advocates
Successful social media marketing is all about relationships, with the highest ROR (Return on Relationship) coming from relationships with your Brand Advocates -- those people who are so delighted by your product/service/brand that they can’t wait to tell their...
A Consumer-based View of Data Gathering
The more social media use becomes a way of business and a way of life, the more we are seeing – and will continue to see – issues around data collection and user privacy. It of course makes sense for marketers to leverage this data, but in my opinion, we’re going...