Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Incredibly relevant.  Highly visual.  Timely.  Enlightening.  Instructive.  Scary. These are all words I use to describe Brian Solis' new book, What's The Future (WTF) Of Business -- Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences . You can likely already imagine that I consider this a must-read book for any business owner and any leader -- even leaders who manage businesses that don't directly connect with consumers. WTF is incredibly relevant and timely because Solis explores the non-stop transformation happening in business today, driven by new social and mobile technologies. The book is highly visual because it's the quality of a coffee-table style book, packed with compelling graphics, bright colors and a design that makes for easy reading -- all delivered on top-notch paper. And, it's enlightening and instructive , because the book delivers real-world examples that can guide you as you shape your business. Plus, WTF is scary .  ...

Increasingly, more companies are forming teams of employees to oversee their social media responsibilities. In his book, Social Marketology , Rick Dragon, shows business leaders how to choose the best tools for your needs and how to develop a strategy tailored to your goals. He also suggests various roles that you may want to learn more about and then ultimately fill as you create your social media team : Director of social media (DSM) Community manager Blog editor Blogger(s) Channel specialist Channel monitor Search engine optimization specialist Photographer/videographer Web producer Web analytics specialist And, as you grow your social media outreach, consider establishing one policy that covers the following areas, or create stand-alone policies for these areas: Overall philosophy Employee access and acceptable behavior Account management Employee conduct Content Security Legal Brand

If you lead a business, nonprofit, or any entity that interacts with customers and consumers and this infographic surprises you: ...then you'll want to read Anna Ritchie's recent blog post , full of eye-opening infographics about how people are constantly distracted by TV, social media, online content, and more, often all at once.  And, how 90% of all media interactions are now screen-based . Ritchie recaps the findings a new research report that are must-reads for leaders and for all content marketers who are continuously looking for new ways to “break through the clutter” and grab the attention of their target customers, members and constituents.

Social Media For School Leaders is the title of Dr. Brian J. Dixon's new book being published this month by Jossey-Bass, an imprint of Wiley. "Just like websites, which eventually became 'must have,' every school district will ultimately need to embrace social media," says Dixon. In 264 pages, Dixon, with ten years of classroom experience in public, private and charter schools, shares his deep knowledge of social media to provide detailed descriptions of the best online tools available for school leaders.  And most important, he delivers step-by-step instructions for using the channels to move a school community from awareness to advocacy and from feedback to collaboration . Long gone are the days of open houses and photocopied newsletters.  A school's community expects frequent updates and vehicles to provide feedback. Because the book assumes the readers knows virtually nothing about the 14 online tools Dixon writes about, it is ideal for tech...

Here are some key questions to ask yourself about how to connect with your customers in today's digital age: Are we making it easy for customers to find us in their digital lives? Do we offer services and content to customers on their schedule, not ours? Do our Web services run well on any browser, smartphone, or digital interface? Can our customers use their phones and mobile devices to find us, learn about us and pay us? Are we responding to customers online in a timely manner? Are we giving our biggest supporters the opportunity to connect with us and champion our business online? Has the conversation among our customers become a vital part of our business? Depending on how you answer these questions, you may need to also ask yourself these questions as well: What assumptions about our business do we need to reconsider? How does our culture need to change? What new skills and capacities do we need to foster? According to author David L. Rogers , "to thrive in o...

According to market-research firm Lab42 , top-level executives use LinkedIn the most for industry networking , while middle management individuals use the social network mostly for keeping in touch. The more experienced professionals, versus entry-level professionals, use LinkedIn for: Demonstrating thought leadership and expertise Promoting their businesses Conducting market research Winning new business LinkedIn has more than 100 million members in more than 200 countries, on all seven continents. A full recap of Lab42's findings (conducted in July 2011) are in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine. A few tips for leaders: Participate in LinkedIn groups that cater to your target market to engage in conversation. Seek out groups with lots of activity rather than lots of members. Note that you can also now add your volunteer activities to your LinkedIn profile.   Here's how: Open up your LinkedIn account Click on Profile Click on Edit Pro...