Social media keeps changing – and that’s exactly why it is a constant fight to keep up with latest social media marketing trends. It seems that every few weeks you hear that Facebook has some new algorithm that messes up all the energy you’ve been putting into it. Then a new feature appears and everyone tells…
Social Media Strategy
The Digital Transformation Has Yet to Come: The Sales and Marketing Perspective
(this post first appeared on TechHQ) I was recently on a 12-day 4-country speaking tour which brought me to Japan, Bahrain, Canada, and my native United States. As I traveled I reflected upon this terminology that has become so prevalent in business yet followed by so few companies: The Digital Transformation. The Digital Transformation will ultimately affect…
Wake Up Call: It’s Time for Social Media Marketing 2.0 – Podcast Ep. 135
16 days. 6 countries. 2 continents. After a business trip around the world, I pondered what role businesses should play in social media. And then it dawned on me: Social media marketing has been going on for ten years, but brands on average still suck at it. Should businesses keep trying to do the same…
It’s Time to Bring Content, Organic Social and Performance Marketing Teams Together – Podcast Ep. 134
I recently keynoted social media enterprise platform company Falcon.io‘s Spark conference on the topic of influencer marketing. I had a chance to meet with their founder and CEO, Ulrik Bo Larsen, at the event and get his perspective on all things social media marketing. They had just announced an enhancement of their platform to encompass…
5 Tips to Ace Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
If you want to engage in social media, you need to have a social media strategy. If you want to engage in social media to market your company, you need to have a social media marketing strategy. Whether or not you have a formal social media marketing strategy written down or not, here are some…
Social Media Replaces Nothing Yet Complements Everything
(this post first appeared on TechHQ here: http://techhq.com/2018/04/social-media-replaces-nothing-yet-complements-everything/) As a social media speaker, I get asked what I believe are bizarre questions from executives and businesspeople who see social media alone as somewhat a savior for their business. “If only we can get influencers to talk about us on social media we can meet our growth goals” is a…
Top 30 Influencers Share Their Social Media Growth Hacks
I had the privilege to share my insights and provide tips about Social Media Growth Hacks for ReportGarden. It was an awesome experience to collaborate with many top social media influencers whom I respect to provide a comprehensive resource for marketers and business owners alike. With no two influencers using the same strategy, it was a…
What are the Top Priorities of Marketers Today? [Free Whitepaper]
![What are the Top Priorities of Marketers Today? [Free Whitepaper]](https://nealschaffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/What_are_the_Top_Priorities_of_Marketers_Today-Free_Whitepaper-1200x630-V2-150x79.jpg "What are the Top Priorities of Marketers Today? [Free Whitepaper]")
The marketing landscape is as dynamic as it is as competitive as ever. The steady influx of data creates too much clutter that both organic and paid marketing strategies are having a tough time cutting through. The top marketing executives from all over the world have convened to address the timely issues that are affecting…
10 Tips to Hack Your Social Media Growth – Podcast Ep. 127
Today I want to talk about something I haven’t talked about before: growth hacking, or specifically hacking your social media growth. Growth hacking is basically how to quickly create a robust social presence on a newly launched effort in a short amount of time. I’ve had a few companies reach out to me for advice…
How to Create Processes for Your Social Media Program – Podcast Ep. 126
Today’s show is about something I’m very passionate about both for my clients and for my own brand: taking social media seriously. Social is becoming a bigger part for businesses large and small, and they are spending more and more resources on it, but it’s important to take it seriously and look at what you’re…
Ask Me Anything: The Answers to Your Social Media Questions – Podcast Ep. 125
Not long ago I did an “Ask Me Anything” on Product Hunt, a website that showcases new products, apps, and startups. Today I’m going to share some of the questions I answered during that session because I thought maybe if one person is asking me this, other people are having these same questions. Listen in…
My Social Media Theme for 2016: Focus – Podcast Ep. 124
Happy new year and welcome to the first solo episode of 2016. I’ve been thinking a lot about skills of the best social media marketers, and what I’m going to be focusing on this year. My answer is focus: as social media marketers, we wear lots of hats, and the only way to maintain a…
Want to Excel at Social Media Marketing Today? Read This.
What do you need to excel at social media marketing today? If you’re looking to take a step back and reinvent our social media presence, my advice is as follows: A Revised Social Media Strategy Hopefully you’ve already read my definitive book on social media strategy Maximize Your Social. I’ve already blogged here about the essential ingredients that…
Rediscovering the Value of Social Media for Business – in South Africa – Part Two – Podcast Ep. 119
I recently visited South Africa and was interviewed on South Africa FM. Last week, you heard the first half of my interview. This week, listen in to hear a continuation of the conversation about social media for business, and what it might be like if we could start over with social media. What would we…
Rediscovering the Value of Social Media for Business – in South Africa – Part One – Podcast Ep. 118
I’m back! I’ve talked about keeping it real in your social and your content, and I want to keep it real. My goal is always to do this podcast regularly, but we’re all busy! Since the last podcast, I’ve traveled a lot, successfully launched the second Social Tools Summit in San Francisco in October, and…
My Best Social Media Advice? Ignore Everyone’s Social Media Advice. – Podcast Ep. 109
I’m coming to you this week from the Women’s Business Symposium, sponsored by Comerica Bank, and benefiting Girls, Inc. Last week, I held the event that I’ve been talking about for months, the Social Tools Summit. It really got me thinking about why it’s important to be unique in the world of business and social…
From the CeBIT Global Conferences 2015: The Role of IT in Social Media – Podcast Ep. 100
This week is a special episode, recorded at the CeBIT Global Conferences (CGC) in Hannover, Germany. I spoke and participated in this great event, and I had such a good time sitting down to speak with Ingo Stoll about the role information technology can play in social media. This episode takes a step back from…
My Answers to Your Top 10 Social Media Questions
The German social media and SEO tool company, Linkbird, recently reached out to me for an interview on all things social media. I had them ask me their top 10 social media questions, and what they asked me represent a lot of the same questions that I get asked in general. You’ll have to read…
Restarting Your Social Media Strategy for 2015 – Podcast Ep. 92
Is your social media strategy stuck in “2011 social media?” Inspired by sitting in a traffic jam himself, this week I focus on helping you audit your social media strategy and social presence in general for the new year. Explaining the importance of examining your current metrics, I encourage you to try new platforms and new formats on…
My Top 25 Social Media for Business Quotes
Over the course of speaking to thousands (if not tens of thousands) of professionals at a few hundred events over the last 5 years as a social media speaker, I’ve seen more and more of my attendees mention that certain things that I said resonated with them. I’ve also seen more people tweet out soundbites…
The Single Question to Help Guide Your Social Media Strategy – Podcast Ep. 79
This week I’m talking about the one question I always ask people that can really help guide their social media strategy. The question might surprise you, but it really is the simplest thing that can make a big impact on what content you’re creating and where you’re sharing it. I’ll give you a hint: it’s…
Holistic Social Media 101: Asking the Right Social Media Questions – Podcast Ep. 73
Today, I want to talk about something that came up while I was having a conversation on a social network recently, and that is, are you asking the right questions? It’s so easy to get distracted by likes and reach and focus on the wrong things, and it’s important to remember to look at the…
Is it Time for You (and Your Business) to Unplug from Social Media? – Podcast Ep. 70
Today I’m talking more about the personal side of social media, though the subject can also definitely apply to businesses. I recently have decided to unplug or pull back from certain social media platforms, and it got me thinking. You should always be thinking about why you’re on social media, why you’re on certain platforms,…
Social Media Lessons Learned from the Japanese Countryside – Podcast Ep. 68
As you may know, I have been traveling a lot lately, and I realized that I didn’t record a podcast while I was in Japan, but I want to talk about what I did while I was there. My wife is Japanese, so we go to Japan every year mostly for pleasure, but I always…
19 Social Media Quotes for Business to Live By [INFOGRAPHIC]
![19 Social Media Quotes for Business to Live By [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://nealschaffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/19-Social-Media-Quotes-for-Business-to-Live-By-INFOGRAPHIC-1200x630-V11-150x79.jpg "19 Social Media Quotes for Business to Live By [INFOGRAPHIC]")
Ask any business leader what their favorite quote is and they are bound to provide you with something that has provided them sound guidance in their career. One of my personal favorite quotes is one attributed to Woody Allen which is “80% of success is about showing up.” It provides me the energy to engage…
How I Help Companies Create a Unique Social Media Strategy Plan
Just as social media permeates every corporate discipline and industry, so will every social media strategy plan created by any given company be unique to their business objectives, internal resources, culture, as well as many other factors. Hopefully readers of my blog will have already realized that there is no cookie cutter approach to any of…
11 Important Ingredients of a Comprehensive Social Media Strategy Plan [INFOGRAPHIC]
Since early 2010, when I launched my social media strategy consulting firm Windmills Marketing (DBA Maximize Your Social), I’ve helped a multitude of companies through the creation and implementation of a social media strategy plan. When I launched my company, social media strategy was something that wasn’t talked about, but I knew it was the…
Are You Ready to Maximize Your Social?
Announcing the Maximize Your Social Giveaway! Maximize Your Social is the only book that helps guide your business through the process of creating, implementing, managing, and optimizing your social media strategy to maximize your social return on investment. With the publication of the book by Wiley recently on September 30, 2013, I wanted to offer a…
Social Media Strategy: The Answer to the Top 5 Social Media Marketer Questions
“Creating a social media strategy is still a major concern for marketers.” Social Media Examiner recently published their 5th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report, where they surveyed more than 3,000 marketers from around the world on a variety of social media issues. The report is free until May 30 (THAT’S TODAY!) and should be downloaded…
10 Social Media Strategy Audit Questions to Help Your Business
A social media audit is part of any social media strategy consulting that I do, but to give you some simple advice as to what you should do to further improve on your social media presence, ask yourself the following 10 questions: Social Media Platforms 1) Are your activities on the various social media websites…
Social Media as a Catalyst for Social Change
As we begin to close out this amazing year of growth (ubiquity?) of social media in 2011, it is time to take a look back and try to grasp at the true significance social media plays in our daily lives. Years ago, the masses were silent. As I often present in my speeches, up until…