Support Platforms posts, articles, and infographics

5 Reasons You Should Use a Conversation Calendar (guest post)

January 23, 2012 by Maggie Fox
with 90 views

With so many social media accounts, all hungry for engaging content that offers value, you might be asking yourself, “How will I ever manage all of this?” [read more]

What’s The ONE THING You Want Your Website To Accomplish?

January 23, 2012 by Todd Schnick
with 47 views

Drawing by hugh macleod

It is all about conversions. Assuming your website is the hub of your online business presence, when people come to our website, we want them to take some action. So, what action do you want people to take? Could it be one of the following? 1. Signing-up for your e-newsletter. 2. Buying product direct from your site. 3. Downloading... [read more]

When There Isn't Room For More Social

December 19, 2011 by Jon Burg
with 33 views

We are fast approaching a point where most normal people do not have any more time that they could spend on social media platforms. But this doesn't mean that we've reached the end of the road for time spent on social. We've only reached the end of the road for time spent dedicated to social. In the broadcast media... [read more]

C-Suite Marketing: InsideView's Ralf VonSosen on Sales Intelligence

December 15, 2011 by Paul Simon
with 46 views

First in a series of exclusive Customer Collective interviews with senior marketing executives. It comes as no surprise that Ralf VonSosen considers sales intelligence the secret sauce for getting in the door in pursuit of new business. [read more]

7 Online Shop Set Up Essentials

November 30, 2011 by Katherine Salt
with 37 views

Image: Courtesy of Renjith Krishnan

Online shops don’t have to be complicated, when you are venturing into the world of e-commerce simple is often better. There are certain things to remember when setting up your shop, as I found out when I first set up mine. Hopefully these 7 tips will help you avoid the pitfalls I fell into. 1. Site Structure When a... [read more]

Who is the Beneficiary of Sales and Marketing Automation?

November 13, 2011 by Dave Brock
with 64 views

I had the privilege of participating in a fantastic roundtable at Focus.com this week. It was “A Sales View Of Marketing Automation,” with three of the smartest sales and marketing people I know: Alex Shootman, Chief Revenue Officer of Eloqua, Thor Johnson of Team Thor Marketing, and Carlos Hidalgo of The Annuitas Group... [read more]

3 Techniques Alone Justify SFA

September 12, 2011 by Adam Honig
with 65 views

Photo: Sean McGrath/Flickr

Half of businesses don't replace their CRM software until it becomes unusable. But can you afford to wait?The customer relationship headlines may be awash with talk of cloud CRM, but not everyone has made the jump. In fact, numerous organizations still use software such as ACT, SalesLogix, or even outdated versions of Siebel, and... [read more]

I Want My Arrington back!

September 2, 2011 by Jon Burg
with 62 views

I have wildly different expectations from a mainstream news report and a post on TechCrunch. I expect the NY Times to report on the facts a minimal yet tangible amount of bias. Such is the norm in the traditional news media. When reading a blog like TechCrunch, the flaming perspective colored by both expert knowledge, and let... [read more]

Facebook friends: Ready to Migrate to Google + Yet?

August 30, 2011 by Eileen Brown
with 74 views

When I started using Google + I was underwhelmed at the interaction I was having – because none of my friends were in there. All my friends and close colleagues – the people I wanted to interact with were on Facebook. But I’ve worked out a way to export my friends to Google + Its a simple but 2 step process. First, you need... [read more]

@socialmedia2day Webinar: Inside Google+ w/ @MaggieFox

August 20, 2011 by Maggie Fox
with 50 views

Tune in Tuesday August 23rd at 12pm EST / 9am PST to the exclusive, live webinar from Social Media Today focusing on Google+. Many have argued that Google Plus could become a viable competitor to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social media platforms. It is undeniable that Google is a force to be reckoned with, but... [read more]

First Take: HP Acquires Autonomy

August 19, 2011 by Esteban Kolsky
with 74 views

On August 18, 2011 HP announced some changes to their business – including the acquisition of Autonomy. I was curious as to how this could affect the CRM and Customer Service markets, where a number of vendors have deals with either Autonomy or Verity to OEM their search engine. I asked the questions, had the conversations, and... [read more]

Is Facebook Copying Google+?

August 17, 2011 by Mac Ocampo
with 152 views

You might think there’s an error on this article’s title, think it should be the other way around? Well, at first look, it should be the other way around. However, Facebook’s recent features seem to trail Google+’s tail. Here are some insights that I’d like to share. [read more]

Online Customer Communities Change Companies

August 4, 2011 by Vanessa DiMauro
with 81 views

Photo: Marc Smith/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Online communities are not neutral. They fundamentally change the nature and way a company does business. All too often, an organization creates a social strategy and thinks nothing will be altered but the tools they will use. And then, the change hits the fan and they are left trying to react to the impact. Are you... [read more]

Creating a Great Social Marketing Community

August 2, 2011 by Debra Ellis
with 207 views

Photo: Edinburgh Blog/Flickr (Creative Commons)

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”Juliet Capulet Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)Juliet’s words can be universally applied to everything in this world. Changing the name does not change the structure of anything. It may make it more pleasing to the ear and appealing to the mind but... [read more]

10 Digital Era Truths

August 2, 2011 by Courtney Hunt
with 122 views

Like many active technology users, I take its integration into my life for granted. But I’m often reminded that most people do not embrace it the same way I do. In particular, many people still love to disparage social media, especially social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I regularly hear disdainful comments about what... [read more]

Mastering Social Customer Service with Salesforce Service Cloud

July 27, 2011 by Adam Honig
with 292 views

Photo: Courtesy of Emdot/Flickr

Learn how to make your cloud-based service efforts soar.What’s the best way to marry your customer service operations with social networks?Technologically speaking, the tie-ins only continue to get better. Notably, users of the Service Cloud, from salesforce.com, now have built-in integration between the cloud-based customer service... [read more]

Why Google+ Isn’t Competing with Facebook

July 26, 2011 by Mac Ocampo
with 245 views

Apple is the Coke of all gadgets we use the Internet for. It may not be true for Android and Blackberry users, which is why Google and Rim came up with tablets of their own. Brand proliferation depends on whether you can turn a person into a potential customer or a mere passerby. As the Web become more social and brands enter the age of... [read more]

Whether the Cloud?

July 25, 2011 by Global One
with 52 views

Photo: Kevin Dooley/Flickr (Creative Commons)

There are a few ways companies define “Cloud”, but most of the descriptions boil down to technology, more or less, run as one of three service models – Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and one of three deployment models – Public, Private, and Hybrid. [read more]

Customer-Centricity and The Kings of Big Data -- What They Collect About You

June 13, 2011 by Peter Auditore
with 356 views

Big Data was the focus of a recent Economist conference that attempted to bring some sense into how we manage data and how it impacts business, government and our own lives. What Google, MasterCard, AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, the CIA, FBI, and more are collecting. [read more]

Dispelling the Myths of E-Books

May 31, 2011 by Michael Cohn
with 114 views

Digital books are easier to distribute, don't require paper printing, and contain the same content or more as their traditional counterparts. These myths prevent people from using them to distribute their work. [read more]