Straight Talk Blog
Ted RubinBrandsConf 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...
Think before you discount
Until recently, “social media fatigue” has been the most dangerous “condition” that we social media marketers have had to combat. Now, however, with the recent trend toward frequent deep discounts and coupon offers, we are risking an even more serious condition of...
Are You Laying the Groundwork Your Brand’s “Infinite Moments of Truth”?
Moments of Truth are well-known concepts in the marketing world, from research (Zero Moment of Truth)… to shopping (First Moment of Truth) … to owning/using a product (Second Moment of Truth). Now, in a recent blog post, David Berkowitz introduces one more: the...
Title: Google+: A Platform, Not the Message
Google+ is here — what do you need to change about your brand message to leverage this new tool? Nothing! Now more than ever, your brand message needs to remain strong and consistent, and your focus needs to stay on building relationships. Don’t let new tools (like...
Is your brand relevant to your social media audience?
Since social media makes it so simple (quick and easy) to post your message (content) in numerous social networks, it can be tempting to spray your message around the cybersphere as far and wide as possible. However, that method keeps you at a surface level of...
The science of social media marketing: experiment, experiment, experiment!
There are no true experts or gurus in this social media space – we are ALL still trying to figure this out. When I said that at the 140 Character’s Conference: New York City (#140conf) the audience applauded… because we all assume that someone else has all the...
12 Most Important Ways to Build Relationships and Get ROR (Twitter Hashtag #RonR)
If you want to continue to reach your market in this social media age, the marketing focus needs to be on building relationships, and metrics need to expand beyond ROI (Return on Investment) to include ROR: Return on Relationship™… simply put the value that is accrued...
The 4th of July – “INDEPENDENCE DAY” – Declare Yours!
The thought of Independence Day brings to mind the current economic environment as well as personal family challenges for me. Many of us go through our lives, day to day, thinking that our only recourse is to put our heads down, one foot in front of the other, and...