When I speak to CEO organizations, I typically run through a series of quick slides that show where technology is right at this moment.

For instance: There were 107 trillion emails sent last year, Facebook is at more than 900 million users, Pinterest is closing in on 15 million users, and there are three billion videos streamed on YouTube every day.

I do this to show how many people are using the web, to preempt the “My customer doesn’t use the Internet” conversation (yes, I still hear that).

But the stat I want to talk about today is the number of blogs on the Internet. According to Technorati, there are 158 million blogs floating around, which is partly why I’m so surprised to keep reading that blogging is dead. Continue Reading »

This first ran on Women Grow Business, a Network Solutions blog that Shonali Burke edits and manages.

One of the most untapped social media tools is LinkedIn. Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ are the media darlings while LinkedIn, which has been around longer than any of the tools combined, continues to grow and provide value without all the celebrity.

Sparkle and shine notwithstanding, the fact remains it is the single most valuable tool when it comes to business development.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a Vistage Chair Group about the use of LinkedIn to help them build their groups. In three hours, we got through 21 different tips. So I distilled them into the top five that were most useful to them, for you. Continue Reading »

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Christopher Burgess in person. He is a senior security advisor at Cisco and we had a delightful debate about social media, networking online, and location-based technologies. A blog post with his advice on keeping yourself safe online is forthcoming, but today I want to talk about the discussion we had around paying employees for innovative ideas.

Though I don’t have all of the details, the gist of this program is that Cisco pays $500 to every employee who comes up with an idea, a few thousand for those whose ideas are good, and a few thousand more if a patent is sought and the company uses that idea. Cool idea, right? So, why then, other than the person who sends in several hundred ideas a week (known as internal spam), is no one taking part of this program?

While I rode my bike the next morning, I was thinking about that and about Daniel Pink’s philosophy in “Drive.” If you’ve not read the book, I highly recommend it, but if you want to get the Cliff’s Notes version, watch this 12 minute video clip, “The surprising truth about what motivates us” (though, I warn you, it may make you car sick – it did me). Continue Reading »

Last week Ann Dwyer told me she’s been thinking about what the last 18 to 24 months have done to the mental state of entrepreneurs and whether or not they’ll be hiring again soon. Small businesses are such an important driver of employment and economic growth . . . it’s up to us to create jobs and deplete unemployment.

But it seems for more than a year, the mantra is “doing more with less.” Fewer employees, tighter budgets, less credit, lower customer spending . . . even less motivation, in some cases. In fact, Vistage International did a survey last quarter and asked its members if they are doing more with less. Eighty-six percent said yes.

That’s exactly what we’re doing.

Continue Reading »

When I started Arment Dietrich five years ago TODAY, I did so pretty blindly. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so I was blissfully unaware that I couldn’t just do client work and grow a business organically.

Well, that worked for about a year. And then things got complicated. FICA taxes? Benefits? Employee handbooks? No shared offices between sexes? Collecting on invoices? Not getting paid for work? Suddenly I was putting out fires constantly instead of doing my trade. And I needed help. Badly.

Continue Reading »

Spending as much time as I do speaking, writing, and counseling clients on the shift in how we communicate, Twitter invariably comes up at least once a day (if not more). People don’t understand why they’d want to read about what someone had for lunch. Or, sometimes, someone will tell me they HAVE to get on Twitter because it’s all everyone talks about and they need to have a new way to sell their wares because the old ways are no longer working.

So rather than listen to me talk about how Twitter is not a sales tool or say that, yes, some people talk about what they had for lunch, I thought I’d pull some of my favorite case studies to show how you can use Twitter for your business. By now it’s pretty easy to understand the consumer implications so, instead, I’m going to show you how businesses that work with other businesses use Twitter to generate leads (and revenue).

Caution – this is  really long post, so scan through the case study that is closely aligned with what your business does.

1. Pitney Bowes – a company that helps businesses with it’s mail, workflow, and customer engagement challenges.

A lot of bloggers and reporters have interviewed Pitney Bowes because they are perceived as an old, stody postal meter company. But they’ve done a great job of embracing the social tools to help change their brand’s image, as well as create a dynamic user experience for their customers.

In an interview with Aneta Hall, the company’s emerging media manager, Shel Israel explores how Pitney Bowes use Twitter to engage their customers.

“First, it’s listening and understanding what’s on the minds of the community Pitney Bowes engages with. Second, being helpful to our customers as well as others who want to know more about us. Third, advancing community-based initiatives such as “Holiday Mail for Heroes” (in collaboration with the American Red Cross).

“Twitter is for individuals rather than brands. If you are willing to engage in conversation on a person-to-person basis, it does not matter if you are B2B or B2C – Twitter is the tool for you. Ultimately customer service and listening to customers is about people and not B2B or B2C.“

2. Vistage International is a CEO membership organization whose audience are business owners and leaders

Because Vistage is a client and because I also am a member, I advocated they use the platform to prospect for new members and Chairs, namely the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who are Gen X and (in some cases) Gen Y. But, because their audience was the Baby Boomer, there was some discussion about whether or not their audience is on Twitter. So we tested a few tiny campaigns and began to show some results.

During a two month period, we had some pretty good success:

* There are a few hundred Vistage members, Chairs, and speakers on Twitter and this was an easy way to build relationships with them very efficiently. We  empowered them to talk about their Vistage experiences (good and bad) as part of what they already discuss on Twitter.

* Every time the Twitter community talked about their Vistage experience, five to 10 people asked us about the organization, which led to warm leads.

* A lot of the traditional communication tools we use (news releases, Webinars, and white papers) began to feature some of the really smart members we met on Twitter. So, instead of always using the same experts, we were able to widen our reach through adding new experts and new topics.

* In a two month period, the Twitter campaign secured 36 member inquiries and six new members, which was attributed to our network of members, Chairs, and speakers.

3. I’m a big fan of OPEN Forum because of the excellent business content it delivers on a daily basis.

The reason OPEN Forum uses Twitter is to provide information, strike up conversation with small business owners, and to drive people to their conversational site (which is separate and apart from its corporate Web site).  Their goals are to: Build brand equity, acquire new customers, and build loyalty among existing customers.

OPEN is totally hands-off when it comes to the conversational element. They have had the guts to let the conversation happen … to let the conversation be directed by small business owners and entrepreneurs, and not try to control it. Because of that, they have created even more brand loyalty among existing customers. I just wish their corporate side of things were better because, as much as I love OPEN Forum, using them as a finance option (as a small business owner) just isn’t an option.

4. Intel, as most of us know, provide the processors inside the machines we use for work.

According to Intel employee, Michael Brito, the company doesn’t have an official “Twitter strategy” but it is a tool that many employees use to build relationships, listen, learn from others/each other, and get the latest in news.  Their tweets are not typically Intel related because:

* Pe0ple relate to people, not logos or brands

* Twitter is a place for conversations, not one-way marketing messages

* Twitter builds community, connects people, and fosters relationships; and in order to do so requires authenticity. It’s difficult to be authentic when hiding behind a company logo

5. Last, but not least, and certainly very self-serving, a case study on how we’ve used Twitter to grow Arment Dietrich, a B2B company and service business.

Last January (2009), I was going to the International Franchise Association show and wanted to see how this Twitter thing worked, in terms of creating an opportunity to meet people there, who also are on Twitter. I don’t think, at that point, I even knew the term TweetUp. I just wanted to have an informal happy hour to meet as many people as I could. And it worked! I met @rieva @kategroom @aaswartz and others in less than two hours.

But just meeting them was not the final goal. It ended up that Rieva asked me to write for AllBusiness.com and I was on BlogTalkRadio with she and Angie multiple times. So, an efficient way to use Twitter was to invite people to a happy hour. Then it resulted in various ways for me to build the firm’s reputation through contributed columns and guest appearances on the radio program.

From there, I realized there is certainly a way to use Twitter to network, to prospect for new business, and to convert leads into real revenue. Since then, (many of you know from following me on Twitter), I’ve become a huge advocate of the tool as part of our business growth strategy.

Lots of people say to me, “Well, Twitter makes sense for your business because you’re a communication company.” I don’t agree with that. We are a business. We have to market and sell, just like any other business. We use Twitter to network 24/7, which leads to new business prospects. It doesn’t matter what our company does…we’re finding people who would hire us, just by using Twitter to network. That strategy applies to any company.

A few lessons you can take away from these case studies:

* Twitter allows you to engage in conversation on a person-to-person basis

* Twitter provides information, strikes up conversation with potential customers, and to drives people to your Web site or blog

* Twitter is a way to network 24/7, to develop new relationships and to encourage brand loyalty among current customers

* Twitter is a place for conversations, not one-way marketing messages

* Twitter builds community, connects people, and fosters relationships

If you want even more B2B resources, my friend Scott Hepburn wrote a brilliant post that has a zillion links in it called B2B Social Media: A Resource Guide.

It seems everyone in Chicago is waiting in anticipation for the International Olympic Committee to decide if we get to have the summer Olympics in 2016. Even I’m on pins and needles and wish they’d hurry up and decide!

While I wait, I’ll do one of my favorite things. Recommend some Twitter friends for #FollowFriday.

@hollisthomases I think I’ve recommended Hollis before, but she’s worth a second mention. I met her initially because she’s a Vistage member, but I’ve developed a friendship with her because, well, she is an amazing woman who runs a successful business. She has the same philosophy that I do about women – we should help one another, not stab one another in the back. She is the author of “Twitter Marketing: An Hour A Day,” which is due out in December, but you can pre-order now.

@Scott217 Scott is my Springfield, Ill., friend who always has these hair-brained ideas that he DMs to me. The best part about his ideas? They always seem to work! He’s a TV producer and director so he has access to a lot of different people who get him thinking. And then he comes up with these ideas that make you think, “Dang! I wish I’d thought of that!” Pretty much everything he touches turns to gold…except his tomatoes. I have him in that department!

@MightyCasey Casey is one to watch. Trust me when I say this. She’s the next New York Times bestselling author. Her book, “Cancer for Christmas” is gaining national attention, and it was just published yesterday! If you’re big on being pink right now for breast cancer awareness, I suggest buying her book. A portion of the proceeds go to cancer research.

@tstonecareers Ljuba runs a company that helps people reach their goals by developing better relationships. He’s been reading some pretty prolific bloggers (in particular @SarahRobinson) who are making some waves by suggesting you find your voice, and writing about being better people through honesty and authenticity. His first blog post launched last night and I’m impressed! Take a read and see what you think. It’s honest, it’s thoughtful, it’s even a little vulnerable. We need more people in this world like Ljuba!

@SusanMazza Susan, like Ljuba, helps people reach their career goals by developing better relationships. I had a long phone coversation with her yesterday and she’s as genuine as she is smart. She truly understands the underpinings of people’s feelings and knows the right questions to ask to get you to self-reflect. She’s an organizational development professional, but she’s just as good at personal development.

@VemmaNewhouse Another Springfield friend! Troy, do you know Scott?!? I love connecting with other cyclists on Twitter and I learned, almost by accident, that Troy rides. He, in fact, is less a sissy than me and will ride when it’s 40 degrees outside. He tweets about his bike rides (like the rest of us crazy cyclists) and I love reading what the weather is like, whether or not it’s dark, or why he didn’t make it out. He also sells Vemma, which sounds like it might be good for us athletes. I’m going to learn more.

@Kyle_Stites This young lady is a rockstar in the making. I’m working with Franchise Business Review on a series of Webinars and she is top-notch. She is proactive and does things without your having to ask…in some cases she does things before I even think to ask her! She’s quickly becoming a social media snob (which I love) and is embracing it with all her might, as evidenced in her first blog post earlier this week. Keep an eye on her. We’ll all be clamoring to steal her away from her uncle’s business someday.

@AJDonovan I don’t know how it is that I have so many Toronto friends, but Andy is another. I think I may need to move there. That would make @MartinWaxman very happy! Andy is my new Twitter BFF (and you know I don’t give out that title lightly). He owns Donovan Consulting Group,which could essentially compete with us. But he’s a competitor I’d love to find ways to work together because he’s smart and he gets it. Read his Twitter stream. You’ll see how well he gets it. Not a selfish bone in this man’s body!

@edorr Erin is one of my favorite Twitter friends because she does crazy, forgetful things like I do, AND she’s willing to admit it! For instance, a few weeks ago, she tweeted that she left her laptop at home and had to go back and get it. I got a DM from her yesterday saying she’d done it AGAIN! That makes me laugh so hard! You know you’ve done that…you’ve just never admitted it out loud. I love her self-deprecating humor.

@jaybenfield My favorite Jay story, to date, is that he thought truffle fries were fries with chocolate on them, a la fries dipped in a Wendy’s frosty. After I explained it was actually truffle oil made from the earthy mushroom relative, he said, “I don’t want fries with truffle juice.” Funny. I’ll never look at truffle fries the same again. He, also, has a self-deprecating sense of humor (I know, big surprise that I love that). One of the terms he calls himself is CDD (chronic design dissatisfaction). Read his blog post about it and see what you think. It’s pretty funny!

P.S. This just in: Chicago was the first city knocked out of the Olympic race. I’m very sad.

Past #FollowFriday recommendations:

Sept. 25

Sept. 4

August 28

August 21

August 7

July 24

July 17

July 10

July 3 (which is a culmination of the previous five weeks)

For an easy way to follow everyone here, plus those on earlier lists, you can copy and paste the Twitter handles into NinjaFollow.

This week’s Crain’s Chicago Business focuses on enterprising women (and yes, I’m featured). But I’m not blogging about it to toot my own horn. I think there is more to the story than Crain’s was allowed to tell and I want to share some of the things I’ve learned.

2008 was the recession year for Arment Dietrich

The communication business, historically, is a key leading indicator for the economy. Having a company not quite three years old  when 2007 ended, I didn’t understand this. I was scared to death, listening to all of the economists speak, but I thought I had some time.  I thought the recession would hit us in 2009 so I spent last year building staff and preparing for the downturn. Boy was I WRONG!

Key learning: Pay attention to economists, to politics, to policy, to new laws and regulations, to community leaders, to business bloggers and reporters. Even though it’s not your core expertise, and it may not affect you directly, it’s important to understand how the world affects your business’s profitability.

Starting a business does not mean you get to do your craft every day

I have a sign on my wall that I wrote two years ago. It says, “I am no longer a kick @ss communication professional. I am a company grower.” My Vistage Chair actually added “kick @ss” between “a” and “company”, which is kind of funny and drives me a little batty at the same time. I’m a bit OCD and he ruined my pretty sign. But I leave it to remind myself that, even though growing  a company is not my craft, I am getting better at it every day.

Key learning: If you start a business, and you decide you want to build something, be prepared to do less of your craft every day. I like to think of it as changing my career so that I feel like I’m really doing my job when I grow the business and less like I’m doing my job when I allow myself to go back into the day-to-day activities of communication.

Have a basic understanding of everything outside your core expertise

Last October, the bank called. Said I was out of covenant on my line of credit and that, because of the economy, they weren’t going to be lending money to professional services firms for the time being. I had no idea what that meant. I didn’t know what a covenant was or how we could be outside of one. I didn’t know what a borrowing base was, but they said I had to complete one immediately. I took it personally. I cried and cried and cried. I fought with my banker. It was a bad day. In fact, it was a bad few weeks.

Key learning: Be as educated as you can be about things outside of your expertise. Even if you have experts (in this case a controller or CFO), understand what your personal guarantee means, understand what you have to do to stay within covenant, understand how to complete the basic financial documents the bank needs monthly, and treat your banker as if he/she is your partner. Turns out, after I decided I’d rather pick myself up than close the business, the bank was very willing to work with us and we’re back in covenant and I understand everything they need to keep our line open.

It’s okay to fail

It should come as no surprise that I’m a perfectionist. I’ve never really failed at anything. So when I do something that is not perfect, I make a big mistake, or I do something I think people will perceive as failure, I’m REALLY hard on myself. I make mistakes every day. Sometimes they’re little. Sometimes they’re huge. And I beat myself up every time.

After the bank situation, and after we had two clients send us “Dear John, the economy sucks” letters right before the holidays last year, I went into a pretty deep depression. I beat myself up. Why didn’t I pay attention to the signs? How did I not know our industry is a key leading indicator? Why did I do some things my gut told me not to do? What were people going to think that I had a good three year run, but I couldn’t grow a business beyond that? How was I going to tell my staff we had to close? How was I going to tell our clients? How was I going to pay our outstanding vendor bills? Why had I built a business only to have nothing to show for it?

And then I happened across a Confucius quote that shook me and brought me out of my self-doubt. “It’s not in that we fail, but in how we pick ourselves up when we do.”

Key learning: It’s okay to fail. It’s how human beings learn. I went back to the office on January 5, 2009, ready to kick butt and take names! We ventured on a new path and shook up our business model. We had to do some lay-offs in January. We had to reorganize the business. I had to make some very hard, personal decisions. But the business is back in the black, every single team member is a rock star, we’re doing the work we love to do, and our culture now embodies everything I’ve envisioned for the past four years. I wouldn’t have done this had I not made some pretty big mistakes last year and everything were status quo.

So yes, Crain’s, this fledgling firm is growing and Global Domination is back on our minds!

What are some of the mistakes and key learnings you can share?