Help vs. Hype: Marketing's Most Intriguing Battle Heats Up

In almost every presentation I work up, there is one line that invariably finds its way onto a slide:

"Adding value through the timely publishing of useful content is the best way to generate goodwill in the communities you operate in."

A blogger who I really respect a lot, Jay Baer, has just published a book called Youtility and the tag line for it is:

"Why smart marketing is about help not hype."

The extended blurb for the book goes on to explain the importance of being useful in the age of information overload.

This perfectly articulated observation from Jay really struck a chord with me and re-ignited my feeling that this sentiment is being largely ignored.

There are a number of reasons for this, and I wanted to share the reasons why this mentality isn't being more widely adopted.

But before I get into that, it is important to outline what encompasses this 'help over hype' approach.

David Warner's Twitter Tirade Becomes an Instant Social Media Cautionary Tale

In the last few hours, yet another Twitter-storm has sent the traditional media into a spin and sports administrators into damage control.

Let's go through the time line of events and then take a look at what all involved parties can learn from the very public event.

Australian Cricketer David Warner (@davidwarner31) is currently taking part in the Indian Premier League cricket competition.

He woke up this morning to an article written by News Ltd journalist Robert "Crash" Craddock (@CrashCraddock1) who highlighted the pitfalls of the world's most lucrative cricket competition.

His article included several viewpoints, including this one: "Australian coaches never enjoy it when their players go to the IPL because they often return fat."

10 of the Most Useful New Social Media Tools of 2013 (so far)

It's been a while since I've cobbled together a post that looks at some of the newer social media tools making an impact around the web.

If you haven't come across one of these posts before, the aim is to highlight some of the hidden gems which can make your online life a bit easier, as opposed to talking about the more mainstream tools that get the big chunks of air time.

Some similar posts from the past can be found here.

Enough reminiscing for now, let's take a look at the new tools, sites and web and mobile apps worth having on your radar.

The 7 different types of social media consultants

Over the last few weeks, I've sat in a bunch of meetings where the skill set of social media specialists have been a hot topic.

The reason why there is so much debate about it is because there are so many different types of people, of widely varying experience, who can occupy positions with a social media remit.

On the back of these discussions, and to help organise my own thinking on the subject, I thought it might be useful to try and classify the different types of social media consultants and the pros and cons of each.

It is difficult to categorise these types without making some generalisations which may not capture the more diverse skills of some of the especially talented and experienced people out there. So, please take with a pinch of salt and help evolve and add to the categories via the comments section at the end.

30 great business, innovation and marketing quotes for the wall in your office

I'm a huge fan of quotes.

I like the way they help validate the values you consider important and question ones held by others.

I also think quotes tell other people a lot about who you are and who you aren't.

In a previous job, we had a wall covered in our favourite quotes, each serving a different purpose depending on what the priority was on any given day.

So, when I was searching for some of my favourites the other day I thought it'd be fun to compile a nice list of them, and share them here on my blog.

I'd really like to add to the list too, so if you have your favourites handy, drop them in the comments box at the end of the post.

How to start and grow a blog (part two: technology)

Welcome to a special multi-post feature on starting and growing a blog. This series has been designed with the blogging novice in mind but may contain a few tips that might appeal to more seasoned bloggers too.

In part one of this series, I looked at the important questions you need to address from a strategy perspective.

Part two focuses on the technological options at your disposal, specifically around the selection of the blogging platform most appropriate for you.

(The rest of the series will include posts on blog optimisation, content planning and refinement, promotion, and a few others things that will give you the momentum you need)

At the risk of sound like a broken record, the technological choices you'll make will really depend on the purpose of your blog and the niche area you want to play in.

How to start and grow a blog (part one: strategy)

Over the last few weeks, I've had a number of friends ask me for advice around starting and growing a blog from scratch.

Like with most things in the social media space, a five-minute conversation gives you the headlines, but not the detail you need to optimise your blog and the role it needs to play to be relevant.

So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to give you my roadmap, starting from the very start and going all the way through to the finer details that are often neglected on the way.

The topics I'll cover include:

- Devising a strategy for your blog (types, purpose and goals)
- Picking the platform (and associated technology) that is right for you
- Optimising your blog (plugins, RSS options etc)
- The content planning and refinement process
- Promoting your blog
- Building a community in and around your blog
- Other tips, tools and tricks

To start things off, I want to look at how you establish a purpose and strategy for your blog.

Let's get to it...

13 social media trends for 2013 (presentation)

I was invited to present to the team at Fairfax Media in Melbourne recently.

The presentation I took them through looked at some of the social media trends I expect to see in 2013.

Some of these probably feature in a lot of similar presentations while others might be a little more left field.

Anyway, I thought it was worth sharing the presentation here on the blog too. 

Social media trends 2013 from Adam Vincenzini

Whaddya think? Would you add any others?

It's time to take tumblr seriously in 2013

About 12 months ago, I promised a colleague of mine I'd write a blog post about what Tumblr is and how brands could leverage it as part of their social media presence.

In that time, tumblr has matured massively, and its role within the broader social media landscape has become really clear, especially in relation to a very specific and powerful demographic.

The following excerpt (from cbslocal.com) sets the scene:

"Sixty per cent of teens (in the USA) see tumblr as their primary social network."

There are some very obvious reasons for this and some not so obvious ones. But, before we get into that, let's profile the platform and how it is being used.

How the Australian Open 2013 is Serving up a Social Media Win for Tennis Fans

The use of social and digital media to amplify the fan experience at major sporting events is no longer just a fad.

In fact, these events are now being built with social and digital media at their heart, with administrators recognising that online access and engagement are just as important as the action itself.

Major sponsors of these events are also getting in on the act, extending their reach beyond traditional signage and advertising with campaigns that live across multiple channels.

So, as the sporting world turns its attention to the first tennis grand slam of 2013, the Australian Open, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at what the tournament, its sponsors and broadcast partners are doing to enhance the fan experience.