Lou Sagar, Social Strategist

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry: Winner: Sundance Film Festival: Best Documentary

2012-01-29T09:55:00.001-05:00

Solitude is Warm.

2011-12-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays.

2011-12-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

So who should be scared in 2012?This is an excerpt from an interview just completed with Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape, and highly respected Silicon Alley venture-capitalist."I think 2012 is the year that retail--retail stores--really starts to feel the pressure. And I don't say that because I don't like retail stores. I loved going to Borders. I thought it was a great consumer experience. And I was a huge fan of Tower Records.But the economic pressure is huge as e-commerce gets more and more viable and as these category killers emerge in the superverticals. If I own mall real estate or retail stores in cities, or if I own chains like electronics chains, I'd be concerned.... I think electronics and clothes are going to be a real pressure point. Home furnishing is going to come under pressure. It's going to get harder and harder to justify the retail store model.The model has this fundamental problem where every store has to have its own inventory and every store is also a warehouse. The economic deadweight of that entire inventory in each store--that's what took down Borders.

Retail runs at very thin margins. So if e-commerce takes a 5 percent or 10 percent or 15 percent bite out of your category, then it becomes harder to stay in business as a retailer. So I think 2012 is the year that that really kicks in."

Heritage will no Longer Maintain "Luxury Brand Value"

2011-10-23T13:02:00.002-04:00

Luxury Brands must become proactive in helping to shape the concept of "heritage. We create our heritage everyday in how what we stand for, and how we communicate our social and lifestyle values. Contemporary Luxury Brands are beginning to recognize that "social caring" and sustainability are a part of the "quality" equation. This is the beginning of 21st century heritage, where history is in the making each and every day, every week, and every season.

Luxury and Sustainability - Trending into a Movement

2011-09-05T09:24:00.006-04:00

The greatest cultural shift of the 21st century is the growing awareness by consumers on the impact of what we buy has on the well being of the planet. Luxury brands and the celebrities whom endorse their products are beginning to lead the way. As luxury brands become more accessible to a broader aspirational customer base, luxury and sustainability will become close friends, adding value from placing greater emphasis on social and environmental excellence. The paradigm shift in what we associate with style and success, is moving quickly to incorporate "awareness" to social issues and sustainability practices.
Profits must be optimized inclusive of these shifts, not simply maximized for short term gain. The math must change in how companies calculate earning a "profit". Luxury brands are in a enviable position in that they attract the attention of so many,
those affluent to buy their products, and many more who hope to. Their influence is undeniable. The recent report entitled
"Deeper Luxury" sponsored by the www.wwf.org.uk offers an insightful study on the trends underway. In fact, it is no longer
a trend, its a movement.

2011-08-27T09:32:00.001-04:00

Nordstrom Opens "Social Charity" Store: Treasure and Bond in Soho

2011-08-21T09:19:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, Nordstrom, the highly respected specialty department store entered into the New York marketplace with the opening of a new "concept" store known as "Treasure&Bond", located in Soho, the neighborhood in which I live and work. It is part "product testing", part "focus group" and a marketing investment to shake hands with New York shoppers, announcing their arrival. One of their major messages is that 100% of the "profits" will be donated to several well deserved charities, a direct tie-in to social giving. It is a bold promise, and one which should be clarified. What exactly does the word "profit" mean today. One is lead to believe that the word profit is the "net profit" after the store pays its rent, salaries, marketing and operating expenses. Does that mean that if the revenues of the store are below what it takes to cover its expenses, then no profit will be generated meaning no funds will be donated? The shopper who makes a purchase is likely to assume with certainty that Nordstrom knows how to make a profit. However, this concept store is an experiment, and a risky one. I think Nordstrom means well, but this exciting "promise" illustrates how important it is for brands to think through the consequence of their marketing strategies, before making promises to its shoppers. We are living in a demanding age where transparency and clarity is most valued by the consumer. Better to donate 10% of sales than 100% of profits. As a shopper, I would then know that definitively a portion of the sale is going to the social beneficiaries. No audits of the P&L are necessary. What do you think?

21st Century Retailing: Demand drives Supply

2011-05-28T16:42:00.008-04:00

Social retailing, will grow rapidly. Social network platforms will act as an "agent" on behalf of small groups and large communities, now certain to influence and power the next-evolution in e-commerce..Expansion of social networking platforms will allow followers to organize quickly around a targeted call to action, linking the purchasing power of one, with many...enabling the group to maximize value from products and services, essentially "buying" on behalf of the group. The number of physical retail stores or "doors" as they are called will lessen as a competitive advantage beginning in 2012. Smart retailers will "crowdsource" the interest of their customers and re-invent "custom" shopping, making products to meet the demand. Demand will drive supply.

6 E-commerce Strategies for Standing out in a Digital World.

1. Think and Act like a Storyteller: Create stories on your products and testimonials on your services.

2. Engage and Encourage Forums and Comments: Invite the customer to sit down at the dinner table. Consider adding customer comments as audio clips. Adding customers audio testimonials can be a simple as taping a phone conversation. Using audio clips is simple, inexpensive and does not require technical expertise or expensive online tools.

3. Spell out the Details: Stay Transparent with Policies. Remember that the main reason people are online is to get information -period. That is the primary goal especially before they buy. Share statistics, create charts, show maps, disclose sources, and keep prospective customers on your site or platform.

You can write articles, give teleclasses, offer whitepapers, provide downloads, share interviews, recipes or helpful hints. Make sure the information is informative, entertaining and relevant to your customers rather than a veiled attempt to sell. People can smell hype a mile away and this is the kiss of death online. Always remember your competitors are only a click away.

4. Video Rules: Share your branding message with short video snapshots. Use videos to educate your visitors on product uses or assembly. Create a short comparing product features or demonstrate the product in use. Keep your videos short (under 3 minutes) and clear. Host your videos on public sites like Viddler or Youtube and post them on your website. Here are a few examples talking about connecting with your website visitors.

5. Place an Image on Your Brand - People are incredibly influenced by creative typographic design. Invest and Upgrade. The online space is as sensitive to graphic identity as in printed space. Cultivate your digital image and build consistency.

Consider adding human pictures to your about us page. Include staff picks or reviews and encourage your employees to write on the blog, social media sites and to contribute articles. After all these are the people your virtual customers will interact with. Don’t hide behind a virtual storefront - don’t be afraid to let your customers get to know the people they are buying from.

6. Social Media is the Media: Customers are moving into groups, sub-groups, and communities of shared interests. Hang out there. are hanging out in communities online. The purpose of social media sites is to share opinions and interests. Connect with target market through blogs, twitter, Linked-in, Facebook, Stumbleupon or any of the dozens of niche social media sites.

Your customers are having conversations with or without you so schedule in an hour a week to schmooze online. This is a way to make connections, not sales - keep it authentic , informative and reap the benefits of worldwide word of mouth referrals.

The way people buy has changed forever with Internet ecommerce. Lets get to work.

Slow Fashion is the New Luxury

2011-03-20T16:44:00.015-04:00

Slow Fashion is not a trend, its a movement and clearly emerging to be the couture end of the Eco Fashion paradigm, or what the London scene has dubbed Ethical Fashion. Yet for an increasing number of women who love luxury fashion but experiencing personal growth in self-social awareness, the association with "luxury" fashion is becoming awkward. Its actually funny to realize that the word "luxury" may be facing an "image" problem. Perhaps, "Slow" offers an alternative, without compromise to value. The shopper of Slow Fashion is required to make an investment in quality, and longevity. These are garments which are pre-destined to have a second and third life, feeding the future of vintage. Lets remember that artisans represent the roots of how many international luxury fashion brands were birthed. Cobblers, Saddle Makers, and Tailors. Small shops, personal service, pride in local production, and greater appreciation for co-workers and their families. Most designers, practicing Slow Fashion, are celebrating transparency, and story telling is part of the sexy appeal; where inspirations, materials, and techniques of fabrication are respected, and shared. What better way to inform and educate a new generation of eco-conscious shoppers? Imagine the convergence as Fast Fashion brands move from material throw-away, and embrace material re-use. A fashion closet with precious touches of Slow in between a wide assortment of Fast. All doing good in a global industry of immense impact. Stay tuned here as this conversation continues. Meanwhile, lets get to work.

Meaningful Play: Getting Gamification Right

2011-03-19T11:59:00.000-04:00

2011-03-19T08:50:00.005-04:00

Owsley "Bear" Stanley was a friend of mine back in the early 90's when a kid wanted to catch a "ride on the bus". He was a genius marketer, eccentric, but full of insights. He "branded" the counterculture of the late sixties...and often told me to "Imagine Perfection" and then get to work. It was comforting to read the many articles and posts in recent days, given his untimely death this past week in a car accident. Learn from him. Think Big...Make your dreams come true.

Slow Fashion is not a Trend: Its a Movement

2011-01-29T18:06:00.007-05:00

The Slow movements began to emerge in the late 1980s and originated with Slow Food, a movement born in central Italy with the purpose of preserving the cultural and artisan attributes of food and wine in the local provinces. According to Slow Fashion Forward @SlowFashionFWD, the term ‘Slow Fashion’ was coined by Kate Fletcher in 2007 (Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UK) and shares many characteristics with the Slow Food movement.
Here in 2011, we are approaching a tipping point, where on the one hand, Eco Fashion is evolving to embrace best practices in sustainabiilty, zero waste, reliable sourcing for eco-organic materials, and revitalizing local factories to produce garments and accessories closer to market. On the other end of the spectrum, watch as the big Fast Fashion brands, with large volume, begin to innovate in their supply chains, and utilize materials which can be efficiently reclaimed, and recycled versus the current cheap "throw-away" reality. As the manufacturers of "Fast Fashion" evolve to embrace sustainability, Slow Fashion will establish itself as the couture end of the Eco Fashion market, where artisan craftsmanship is a core value to preserve, and the garment offers high investment appeal. Production is limited, there is a respect for time, and scarcity. For many, Slow Fashion is becoming the "leading edge" for building a sustainable future for the fashion industry.

Stay tuned for more on the trending events on the Eco Fashion and Slow Fashion Movement

A Few Social Business Trends: 2011

2011-01-03T13:59:00.013-05:00

Having had the opportunity to stay at home for the holidays, I conducted research from a wide archive of resources, client projects, and readings from influential minds.

The developing trends to watch for in 2011.

1. E-Books are a big success. Enhanced E-Books are Coming and will be Better The e-book has proven to be convenient, and accessible. Watch as interactivity compliments text, with deeper immersion into content with self-help tips, and videos. Publishers will become important again.
2.Social Strategy will become an Executive Priority. Watch as 21st Century leaders make customer and employee engagement the centerpiece of their digital planning.
3. Social Currency will become Bankable.
Social Currency is represented in the exchange of words, ideas, writings, and the quality of time invested online to share, comment, and influence with good intention.
The combination is what creates real value. Watch Social Currency become a primary form of incentive with rewards, likely to grow by both Brands, and Individuals.
4. Value Propositions are out! Value Conversations are in! 21st Century Organizations can no longer manage by monologues top down. They must manage through dialogue that is outside in -bottom up. Invest in those companies that have this Leadership. *Credit to Umair Haque @umairh
5. Social Giving is essential to Social Commerce
Retailing is going social, and non-profits and charitable organizations will become direct beneficiaries as brands seek to connect with customers through social responsibility, beneficial causes, and acts of kindness.

Trends Shaping the Future of E-Commerce

2010-12-17T16:14:00.005-05:00

1. Social Network Integration:
As marketers encourage consumers to transact without leaving social network platforms, watch for more applications that leverage the emergence of "social shopping".
2. Mobile Commerce Sites:
Consumers accessing products and content when mobile have different needs than users browsing desktops. Progressive e-commerce retailers will begin to focus on designing a "mobile site user experience" based on a different set of assumptions than traditional desktop site visits.
3. Geo-Social - Mapping and Tie-Ins:
Watch as marketers take advantage of exciting new location-based cross-channel promotions. Rewards and Incentives for simply "showing up" at events connecting to brands and their products.
4. Contextural Visualization:
Shoppers expect to visualize more intimately how products look on them and in their environments. New technologies underway to facilitate that interest.
5. Grid Expansion and Liquid Layouts:
Liquid layouts will automatically size product display based on the browser resolution of the computer which the shopper is using to view the product. This will enable products to scale to size and improve visual quality.

The Social Economy

2010-10-20T08:27:00.005-04:00

We are living in a Social Economy and it is defined by the exchange of ideas and information both online and in the real world. The value and state of the exchange is indexed by the dividends earned through new opportunities and alliances. Relationships are the new currency of the Social Economy as they fuel and extend interaction, insight, and loyalty, and in turn, contribute to the social capital of the individuals who actively invest in their personal branding portfolio. Creating incentives and rewards for readers, viewers, members, and customers is now at the forefront of digital strategy.

Watch closely as building "trust" becomes the dominant "house rule" on the web.

Ten Tips on Brand Positioning to Stay Relevant

2010-09-23T22:08:00.006-04:00

Being a big player is no longer a competitive advantage
Its better to be a profit leader than a market share leader
There is no competitive advantage in doing what others do
There is no such thing as full service its focus on details
Most professional service brands are not overpriced, they are just underexclusive
Most firms are engaged in fighting turf wars, instead of finding new turf
No customer is going to buy a vague brand
For brands stuck in the middle is a prescription for death
“Boxed in?”, no box means no strategy
The main difference between mediocre firms and great ones is not just vision, but execution

Trust in Art will build Trust in Brand

2010-09-10T14:31:00.006-04:00

Trust Art is a philanthropic initiative aimed at creating self-sustaining communities for the production of public art while also redefining what public art can be, do, or mean when initiated on a local level. The growing awareness by consumers that artists offer a bridge to truth and honesty are more evident than ever. Check out this terrific collaboration and visit the upcoming event. http://trustart.org/projects

Moving from a Transaction Mindset to a Relationship Mindset

2010-07-21T11:38:00.005-04:00

Most corporations, large and small, have increasingly focused on short-lived transactions as the way to generate profit – buy low, sell high and wherever possible squeeze partners in transactions to generate as much profit as possible over the shortest possible time frame. It is a hunter mentality, predatory and aggressive. One of the "Big Shift" views promoted by thought leaders such as John Hagel is that growing access to real time knowledge flows, are proving that the transactional mindset undermines the demand for greater trust and transparency. And in the absence of those relationships it becomes almost impossible to effectively participate in the knowledge flows that can influence a consumer, a community, and drive a purchase. As I continue to work with clients, I make it a point to emphasize that our primary responsibility in business is to operate as a "trust-agent", and trust drives attention, and attention from social networks drive influence, and influence demands even greater trust. Stay with these principles, and prosper.

e-Commerce moving to Social Commerce

2010-06-12T08:57:00.004-04:00

According to ComScore, the 4th quarter of 2009 marked the sign of positive growth in the year with both retail and e-commerce showing gains. ComScore also stated that a social media is becoming an important driver of commerce, where social media influenced 28% of holiday purchases.

A recent report from FFP Global states that: “online shopping is moving from a transaction mentality to one that embodies discovery, entertainment and social bonding experience.”

The report goes on to list five key e-commerce trends for 2010:

Smarter Mobility: Smartphones have continued to grow due to their wider screens and applications. Mobile phone and handheld devices will see more applications to help drive ecommerce sales.
Fulfillment Rules: Retailers will begin to consider “regional fulfillment centers” due to rising fuel costs and the demand for quicker delivery times.
Customer Service: Consumers will begin utilizing an ever increasing number of communication channels: i.e.: texting, accessing information, free expression, immediate feedback, etc. All of these pose a challenge that e-retailers must take seriously.
Relevancy is Virally Important: E-retailers are starting to become more than suppliers of goods and services and must proactively develop a personality that market segments can accept. They must listen; actively engage in conversations with their current and potential customers and more.
Business Intelligence meets Business Process: In 2010, businesses will need to commit to the information in their data banks to create marketing and sales business processes to help provide them a competitive advantage.

According to a recent Razorfish report, “65% of consumers report having had a digital experience that either positively or negatively changed their opinion about a brand.” Additionally, “97% of that group said that their digital experience influenced their decision whether or not to purchase a product or service.”

Consumers are evolving quickly. Social Commerce is demanding that brands invite their customers to the "dinner table" and engage, listening, learning, and navigating new ways to facilitate need. Attention to detail in service and fulfillment remain cornerstone attributes for a positive "buying" experience. Give your best customers
more benefits not less.

Start rewarding and stop discounting!

Who is the Social Customer?

2010-06-07T14:21:00.005-04:00

§ The social customer is engaged, consuming information in real time, learning about breaking news through Twitter and Facebook , favoring her personal feeds which she has curated and surfaced as important information.

§ The social customer learns about new products and brands through social channels and trusts her social network to provide honest feedback about it, as opposed to a brand’s one-way message of persuasion.

§ The social customer is smart, no longer responding to unsolicited SPAM in her social networks or overly promotional tweets, but is open to relevant information that meets her needs at that particular moment.

§ The social customer expects brands to be present and active in the same social venues where she hangs out, listening to her feedback, whether it’s negative or positive.

§ The social customer expects you to listen and engage with her, not only when it coincides with an e-mail blast or new feature release, but rather when she needs you. And you better respond fast, in real-time, or she will either move on to a competitor, or tell her friends about her bad experiences.

§ Because the social customer can talk to a brand through many channels at the same time, she expects everyone she talks to from your company to have the same background on her issue. For example, if I complain about an experience on Twitter, I want the representative who engages me there to know my relationship with the brand, and can easily view the history of interactions I have had.

Bottom line: The social customer owns the relationship, and you need to earn her trust and respect.

I-Pad is A Game-Changer for Retailers:

2010-04-24T10:11:00.005-04:00

One of the over-looked consequences of the I-Pad will be the impact on retail and e-commerce. I-Pad's digital dashboard, and mobility will enable retailers to make their dreams come true: Driving entertaining and informative content about their products in direct "engagement" with viewers - Viewers who may be existing customers, or potential new prospects. The merchandising of the I-Pad will motivate merchants to tap into digital technology in new and innovative ways.

Here are just a few ways that the I-Pad will be used at retail:

Catalogs: - Online version of print catalogs with embedded video and "browsing" incentives.

Personalization: - Product customization where customers will access and easily view an archive of fabrics, colors, and finishes, which will generate an increase in "special orders" helping retailers to manage inventory, without compromise to customer service.

Store Sales Support: Imagine the benefits for a store associate with access to product and customer data, and reviews, enhancing the ability to transact successfully away from the traditional register check-out.

Registries: The I-Pad will enable customers to register across broader categories and depth of inventory.

Testimonial Reviews: Customers will view online catalogs and e-commerce sites while connected to their Facebook community, ask for advice, and receive real-time testimonials from their "friends".

Story Selling: The I-Pad will enable a great number of artisan workshops, third world cooperatives, and makers with limited production to reach their customers and share the stories which make their products compelling. Social commerce will thrive on the I-Pad encouraging the further dis-intermediation of traditional distribution channels.

Free Delivery - Part 1: Social Retailing

2010-04-17T17:58:00.002-04:00

Social Retailing will scale rapidly, beginning this year and accelerating in 2011, and 2012. Why? The consequences derived from the increasing influence from the FOUR C - Connectivity. Content, Community and Commerce. Watch as social network platforms enable "trust agents" to emerge representing small groups and large communities, now certain to influence and power the next-evolution in e-commerce..Expansion of social networking platforms will allow Twitter followers to organize quickly around a targeted call to action, linking the purchasing power of one, with many...enabling the group to maximize value from products and services, essentially "buying" products and services at the lowest costs for the most value.

7 E-commerce Strategies Working Well

2010-04-13T10:52:00.005-04:00

1. Use expanded descriptions, multiple product views to convey the real value of your products. You wouldn’t nail down shirts in a clothing store so why would you only offer one view of your products? This doesn’t have to use elaborate or expensive technology, multiple views, close-ups and live use photos can provide a lot of information other stores don’t bother to share.

2. Invite customer opinion with customer product reviews and real life testimonials. Consider adding customer comments as audio clips. Adding customers audio testimonials can be a simple as taping a phone conversation. (With permission of course) Using audio clips is simple, inexpensive and does not require technical expertise or expensive online tools. By itself an audio testimonial may not make the sale but it is a very effective tipping tool, helping to nudge reticent buyers over their hesitation and into a sale.

3. Offer relevant information that doesn’t sell. You heard me right, give people information for free without trying to sell them anything. Remember that the main reason people are online is to get information -period. That is the primary goal especially before they buy. Statistics show that the longer people stay on your website the more likely they are to buy from your store (even if they decide to buy at a brick and mortar store) Use an irresistible giveaway to capture emails of people not yet ready to buy and use your content to keep them engaged until they are ready.

You can write articles, give teleclasses, offer whitepapers, provide downloads, share interviews, recipes or helpful hints. Make sure the information is informative, entertaining and relevant to your customers rather than a veiled attempt to sell. People can smell hype a mile away and this is the kiss of death online. Always remember your competitors are only a click away.

4. Get into video. A brief welcome message that shares your value proposition can give s a call to action can engage visitors and move them down the buying path. Use videos to educate your visitors on product uses or assembly. Create a short comparing product features or demonstrate the product in use. Keep your videos short (under 3 minutes) and clear. Host your videos on public sites like Viddler or Youtube and post them on your website. Here are a few examples talking about connecting with your website visitors.

It might seem that video clips within product descriptions are a luxury but I foresee video product descriptions as being the norm within 5 years. According to Internet tracking firm comScore’s Video Metrix, Americans watched about 14.8 billion videos in January 2009, or roughly 101 videos per U.S. Internet user. Todays online shoppers are using alternate avenues like YouTube to research product. Get a jump on the competition by giving your online shoppers a bigger experience, not by lowering your prices.

5. Put a face on your store - people buy form people not computers. Yes they use the computer to do it but they want to know there are real people who will back up their purchases, especially with higher ticket items, or products they are not sure they need. This will become increasingly important in a slow economy because buyers are not as willing to risk a purchase if they feel their concerns will get lost in cyberspace.

Consider adding human pictures to your about us page. Include staff picks or reviews and encourage your employees to write on the blog, social media sites and to contribute articles. After all these are the people your virtual customers will interact with. Don’t hide behind a virtual storefront - don’t be afraid to let your customers get to know the people they are buying from.

6. Make sure your online store has a clear value proposition that speaks to your target market. This value statement must answer the question that is on your best customers mind; “Why should I buy form you over the other guys?” If your website cannot convey this critical piece of information then your visitors will definitely miss it. Your ideal customer should immediately recognize that they are in the perfect place when they land on your ecommerce site.

Many online stores resist crafting a clear value proposition that targets a particular type of customer for fear of alienating other visitors. Look at your statistics and you might see that you make most of your money from a niche group or groups. A clear value proposition targets these customers and tells them exactly why you are the best solution to their problem.

7. Use social media to establish relationships and get feedback. Believe it or not your customers are hanging out in communities online. No, you may not visit Facebook or Linked in but social media sites are doubling every year. They aren’t just for teenagers anymore. The purpose of social media sites is to share opinions and interests. Connect with target market through blogs, twitter, linked in, Facebook, Stumbleupon or any of the dozens of niche social media sites.

Your customers are having conversations with or without you so schedule in an hour a week to schmooze online. This is a way to make connections, not sales - keep it authentic , informative and reap the benefits of worldwide word of mouth referrals.

The way people buy has changed forever with internet ecommerce. The world is literally your marketplace and customers can live just about anywhere. Using just one of these suggestions could immediately increase your ecommerce store profits. Now imagine what implementing all 7 could do!

These simple ecommerce strategies can help your online store stand out in a digital world.closer to the source" more "directly", Value Up...Prices Down...Win Win....

Social Media and Digital Activism

2010-03-01T11:23:00.004-05:00

What is the relevance of new social networking technologies in our culture and society; and how can we use these tools for digital activism in order to foster positive social change, throughout the world. This is the central question for an historic event, which I am co-executive producer here in New York on March 15th, at the prestigious Paley Center for Media. Ai Weiwei, the leading Chinese contemporary artist, and unquestionably the most prominent social activist in China today, will take the stage to engage in a conversation with Jack Dorsey, co-creator of Twitter, and Richard MacManus, the founder of RWW - Read-Write-Web, the international technology blog.
Stay tuned here for updates and links to the event on this important topic.

Social Commerce: Needs Integrated Platforms

2010-02-15T10:35:00.005-05:00

As information sharing and socialization converge on the Web, it has become increasingly important that software development should focus on creating intuitive platforms that connect an individual's interaction needs with the world around him. By bridging the gap between social consciousness, transactions and socialization, the next-generation social media platform needs to incorporate three key components: social responsibility, eCommerce and communication.

Charities As we have seen during the Haiti Earthquake relief, social responsibility is top priorities for all brands, from celebrities to multi-national corporations. Despite the effectiveness of fundraising efforts, there has always been a distance between the message and the medium. By providing a platform where individuals of influence and celebrities can leverage their influence to generate donations instantly, without changing sites, fundraising efforts stand to mobilize more donations.

By eliminating extra steps, the platform should deliver both the content and the means to participate in charity events.

eCommerce Have you ever purchased anything directly through a social media site? Probably not. Social media sites have created a chasm between interest and transaction that has not been crossed in one application. By reducing the distance between consumers and purchase, companies stand to generate more sales on an integrated platform. Add a layer of security and bank account information protection to it, and you have an easy-to-use transaction system that makes spending simpler, immediate and safer.

A new platform needs to integrate online commerce with the user-experience so that content creators and retailers can have more direct access to consumers.

Communication The next best thing to having a person next to you is being able to see them, hear them and interact with them in real time. Web video streaming and VoIP need to be first-class citizens in the feature set. So does the instant sharing of thoughts, media, insights and content. A converged platform where mobile, Web and you intersect is paramount. Also, privacy must be a top concern and efforts to keep out unwanted wandering eyes must supersede all others.

Interaction must be instantaneous and protected. The next-generation social network must focus on the individual, not the worth of their content. I want to thank Ivan Pena for his contributions to this blogpost.

20 Social Media Marketing Applications

2010-01-15T14:19:00.007-05:00

MCP Promotions put this cool list of applications for monitoring brand reputation, and social media marketing:

1)http://BackTweets.com : A search engine for Twitter. See who's tweeting your links and more. Can also sign up for email alerts of new findings.

2) http://Addictomatic.com : A little different than the others , you type in a keyword, topic or phrase and out it goes searching the top blogs, news sites, Google, Technorati, Ask, YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Topix and more. You'll be given a personalized results page to bookmark with everything it finds related to your topic.

3) http://Buzzoo.net : All about Internet buzz, it tracks several different websites to bring you what's "hot" right now.

4) http://Surchur.com : Search for the latest and greatest on topics that are popular right now. Type in a keyphrase and it searches blogs, social news sites, photo and video sites for your chosen topic.

5) http://Commentful.Blogflux.com : This service watches for comments on blog posts, Digg, Flickr, and others and notifies you of any findings.

6) http://AlertRank.com : A better way to organize and sort Google alerts. Get a daily report emailed to you in a spreadsheet format of what it finds.

7) http://BoardTracker.com : A search engine for forums only. Monitor discussion boards and be notified by email when a thread matching your search terms is discovered. Free to use.

8) http://www.google.com/alerts : I've been using this "secret weapon" for years. Simply type in your name or company name and receive daily emails of results found. They do the work, you receive the links. Free and nice.

9) http://BrandsEye.com : An online reputation management tool with a real-time, concise overview of your online reputation. Multiple levels of services and pricing available. Starting at $1.00.

10) http://Twazzup.com : Another Twitter only search engine.

11) http://SiteMention.com : Type in your url and find out what's being said about you. The results returned are gathered from Google Blog Search, Twitter, FriendFeed, YouTube, MySpace, Digg, Delicious and many more.

12) http://Brandwatch.net: This service tracks your brands, companies, even the ompetition. Sign up for free weekly updates on any brand. Their detailed reports break down what sites like you, your most talked about features, weekly summary of all blogs and forum activity. Very similar to the old "press clipping" service.

13) http://Trackur.com : A tool that scans many websites including blogs, news, image and video sites, forums and notifies you of any mention of your brand, products/services. Easy to use and affordable. Prices vary depending on need, a personal account is only $18.00 a month, corporate account $88.00 a month with other options also available. Try a "personal" account free for 14 days.

14) http://FiltrBox.com : This one searches online news sources, Twitter and others to find out what's being said about you or your company. Pricing is based on the number of users, but there is a free version that provides "5 filters" and 15 days of what they call "article history".

15) http://SocialMention.com/alerts : Just like Google Alerts but for social media. Enter your keyword phrase and email address to be notified of any new findings. Searches blogs, microblogs like Twitter, bookmarks, comments, events, images, news, videos and more.

16) http://BlogPulse.com : A search engine that searches only for data posted to blogs. Enter your keyword, hit submit and off it goes to gather results.

17) http://BackType.com : Billing itself as a "conversational search engine" they index millions of conversations from social networks, blogs and other social media.

18) http://sm2.techrigy.com : Industry insiders claim this to be the leading social media monitoring solution online. Choice of free or paid version. Free is limited to five searches and 1,000 results. There are three paid professional levels: Gold, Diamond, or Platinum.

19) http://ReputationDefender.com : This paid service finds out everything there is to know about you online, and if negative information is found they try to have it removed. Different types of plans are available such as "My Reputation", "My Privacy", starting at only $14.95 a month.

20) http://Topsy.com : Topsy will track your tweets that have been retweeted so you can find out who's been sending you all that "link love". Type in your Twitter user name and you'll be amazed at what you find.

LOU VIEWS: TOP TRENDS FOR 2010

2009-12-31T13:33:00.010-05:00

TOP TRENDS FOR 2010

The Top Trends to Watch in 2010!

SOCIAL COMMERCE

An increasing number of marketers and retailers have established a presence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. For now, retailers are intent to learn from exploratory efforts and a “testing” phase. Customer retention, building brand awareness, and generating leads provide a sufficient ROI. In 2010, retailers will become more serious about trying to measure social media’s impact on sales.

CONSTRUCTIVE CAPITALISM

The convergence of philanthropy, commerce, and sustainability morphs into a business model that appeals to consumers, drives traffic and engagement, and proves highly profitable. Doing good becomes a prerequisite for success and no longer an after-thought.

RISE OF TRUST AGENTS AS POINTS OF INFLUENCE

As the cost for attention from fans, members, and customers grows scarce, practices for generating “trust” in an authentic, and transparent way will become a priority and measurable. Influence grows your business. Trust drives Influence. Influence demands trust.

INFORMATION ART IS THE POP ART

Watch this cool breed of info-artists utilizing technologies to visually present data, signals, and information in a visually inspiring context. The growing wealth of data and the access to rich and diverse data sources have made the art of data an artistic expression with growing popularity.

PUBLIC RELATIONS = SOCIAL RELATIONS

Expect a greater emphasis by marketers to move away from traditional media to promote to consumers, moving towards encouragement for individuals to talk to others about what makes your offer special. Social Testimonials are hot. Watch as traditional media “disassembles” and social networks “assemble” People are the media.

SEARCH GIVES WAY TO FILTERING AND SORTING.

There will be proliferation of new tools and applications to enable individuals and groups to filter and sort the flow of incoming data content. More attention will be paid to RSS feeds, and managing the information relevant to you.

CONVERGENCE OF T.V. AND WEB

Time on Internet watching traditionally-based TV or cable video content will leap forward in percentages, and create genuine havoc with broadcaster and cable media carriers.

SOCIAL GAMING AND VIRTUAL ECONOMIES
The advance footprints on how retailing and online commerce evolve will be tested and proofed in social gaming. This will explode in 2010 and shift the paradigm for what makes an economy grow.

COLLABORATION NOT CONSULTATION
More talent is needed for shorter periods of time, but with longer-term relationships. Collaborative thinking will become an important compliment to consultative expertise for productivity in a socially connected network.

Attention is Scarce, Right?

2009-12-26T20:54:00.015-05:00

Attention is scarce right? Maybe we can attract more attention to our own passions and compassions if each of us focused more attention to the passions and compassions of others. Attentive attention. Staying longer in the moment. By focusing deeper on the issues and topics which matter most to you, it is likely to produce a deeper level of attention back, satisfying your desire for attention to issues and topics of interest to you. These interactions build "trust" and generate influence. When you give your attention to something, you are investing, and earning social currency in the eyes of your friends, family, and broader network of contacts. I think social networks are reducing the distance between celebrities and the rest of us.

2010 will likely affirm the "power" of one.

A healthy trend.

Emergence of the Ambient Stream

2009-12-20T12:17:00.008-05:00

If you want to know how to fully grasp the depth and impact of social networks, begin visualizing the flow of information as an "ambient stream" made of many digital signals and work harder in 2010 to self-curate the way in which you personalize the ambient stream to keep yourself informed, enriched, and motivated.

When trying to understand the prospect of a building a personalized "ambient stream" here are a four key building blocks which thought leaders like Edo Siegal are suggesting as
as well:

1. Realtime Web
(Twitter, news flows, world events, and other topics/content

2. Published Information (sites, blogs, Wikipedia, etc.)

3. Geolocation Data (your location and information layers related to it.

4. Social Communications (social graph updates, IMs, emails, text messages,

The first generation experiences in "ambient streams" have been well illustrated and executed with Google Reader where you list favorite content through an RSS feed,much
like a content tributory, it all flows...As we begin to adjust our mindset to viewing information as a flow, and digital signals as patterns, our ability to "curate" improves, we can maximize the benefits of "realtime" news, and insure that important content is archived for a deeper view at a later date.

And Now an "Ad" from One We Trust and Follow!

2009-11-22T09:45:00.014-05:00

I think most people will agree that Influence is maintained with trust. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith's new book "Trust Agents" blueprints the impact of "Trust Agents" and is a great primer. A fairly large conversation is developing around platforms that will enable those of Influence, celebrities, and bloggers, for example, to attract marketers willing to compensate those of Influence for "tweeting" their messages to followers, fans, viewers, and customers. Influence holds value for "messaging" and is worthy of being compensated for, if the "messaging" is relevant to the followers, and not disguised. One of the platforms that look very promising is Likes.com which launches in December. and claims that a "revolution" is coming to online advertising. Lots of people will react adversely to the concept of advertising messages being "tweeted. Tweeting Ads" makes me queasy, and certainly does not connote success. That being said, I believe we will see a version of endorsement, where influence will attract compensation, and those of us who are following will be receptive if the product and service fits our shared values, and it is not spoken loudly. "Tweeting Endorsements" suggests a deeper connection, and requires an investment by the "influencer" to qualify that the the product or services being promoted are relevant. Followers will respect that.

Stay tuned. This topic will be gather momentum in 2010.

Worldchanging: Bright Green: The Revolution Will Not Be Hand-Made: A Quick Sunday-Morning Rant

2009-11-15T21:57:00.001-05:00

This is one of the better blogs on sustainability trends. I want to put a shout-out here as

this is one of the recent articles, and shows off the quality of the writing by their team.

Worldchanging: Bright Green: The Revolution Will Not Be Hand-Made: A Quick Sunday-Morning Rant

Are Social Media Federations a Good Thing?

2009-11-12T15:43:00.001-05:00

Are Social Media Federations a Good Thing?

Posted using ShareThis

The Art of Online Merchandising

2009-11-10T09:31:00.013-05:00

Merchandising is emotional. Online e-commerce is not.

As measurement tools have advanced, web analysts report on a wide range of metrics that influence the ultimate goal:

Conversion!

Conversion rules.

Online marketers are paid to design strategies and execute campaigns to attract visitors to a website or landing page.

Online merchandisers are paid to motivate, to inform, entertain, and stimulate the visitor.

Conversion One: How Visitors become Shoppers

Once the visitor has arrived, the responsibility shifts from the role of marketing to the role of merchandising. Marketing campaigns are designed to provide incentives for visitors to shop, while artful merchandising seeks a bond, a desire for engagement. Artful online merchandising is focused on how to convert the visitor into a reliable prospect, often driven to become a shopper by site design, product offering, ease of navigation, visual and textural copy.

Think like a Shopper, Act Like a Buyer, Become a Better Seller

Conversion Two: Shopper becomes a Buyer

Shoppers browse, Buyers transact.

What are the core objectives for online merchandising?

Engagement, Value, and Loyalty

What are primary support goals required from web engineers and programmers?

Convenience, Efficiency, and Safety.

Successful Online Merchandising is a dance where both are in balance.

Principles of the Art

· Stimulate Curiosity
· Use Incentives for Customers to Engage with Staff
· The Calendar Repeats
· Free Shipping is Universal. It works.

Other Tips:

Dynamic Landing Pages
o Provide a focused, customized shopping experience around the product or subcategory of products
o Provide a great mix of product messaging that is too good to pass up
Product Merchandising Tips

· Lifestyle Images.

o Use photographs of people using your products
o Clean Silhouettes Rule.

· Expanded Product Information.

o Write concise and detailed product descriptions.
o Include product attributes – function, form, labeling, source,

· Multiple Photographs.

o Present the image of your product from several angles, as well as the product being used.

· Product Collections.

· Group several products into a collection that can be used together to create a complete solution to the customer's needs.

The Uniform Project: Convergence of Philanthropy, Fashion, Sustainability, and Commerce

2009-10-23T23:03:00.019-04:00

The Uniform Project was birthed by two women, Sheena Matheiken, and Eliza Starbuck, inspired to use a blog and social networks to raise funds for a worthy cause. The mantra: one black dress-365 days, complimented with Sheena's creative styling imagination appeals to women around the world, who ask themselves the question; "What Shall I Wear Today? Respectfully, millions more have little to wear but one piece of clothing, constrained by education, health, and cultural hardships.

As many of us are moving away from the "brand is me" to the "brand is we" I predict that the attributes which motivate us to shop and transact has reached an inflection or "tipping point". Competition for resources will give way to cooperative commerce systems. Communities will vote together and buy core product categories in bulk. Bloggers will move from complainers to composers, partnering with new platforms like the Uniform Project to converge philanthropy, fashion, sustainability, and commerce. The popularity of the Uniform Project, through its daily serial of blog posts, is sending digital signals, a weather report on whats to come. The rapid escalation of tags,links,keywords and the signals emitted from hyper-layered social connectivity will likely to force the extinction of the current business and distribution hierarchy as we know it! Just read the Twitter trend feeds on your favorite topic or brand and feel the power of the stream. Its early, but the trend is undeniable.

In fact, not too long ago, store-based retailing was forced to adopt and embrace the Internet. The movement to online e-commerce was powered by technology. Watch now, as the movement to networked commerce, is further empowered by the connectivity provided by it. The Uniform Project and other initiatives like it exemplify the power of "trust agents" as Chris Brogan and Julien Smith have aptly named their new book. These "trust agents" are changing the business of retailing. They will motivate buyers to enjoy consuming, fueled in part by an awareness that every transaction can have a far greater value and influence than ever before. Its no longer just about "me", its also about "we". That's a large audience of consumers, a few hatching,
and a large number incubating, who will buy most of what they need through "trust agents" and love doing it. Social network connectivity is spawning an evolutionary
uptick in how we conduct commerce. Lets help each think less like marketers, and
more like farmers and stewards.

I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and watch the movie on the birth, and mission for the Uniform Project and thank you for sharing.

5 Attributes for Digital Engagement

2009-10-17T11:30:00.019-04:00

Reading Minds
Marketers increasingly use web analytics and measurement tools for predictive inference of what you and I may be "seeking" in order to serve relevant messages - guided by a complex web of search terms.
24-7 Connectivity
As we become effectively "plugged in" marketers will advance more messages more frequently and consumers will seek applications to protect and prevent unwanted interference more efficiently. Passwords give way to advances in authenticity, and protection of identity.
Property Exchanges
Watch as a greater number of individuals join in the online exchange of goods and services. Micro-marketplaces develop as the connectivity deepens and segmentation becomes more focused.
Social Exchanges
Social networks stimulate individuals to express themselves, create identities, share values, and build social currency credits. A marketplace of communities develop around a new set of "trust" rules. Marketers become sponsors if invited as participants.
Cultural Exchanges
Artists, Designers, and Performers channel creativity, and produce content in smaller bites, shorter works, responding to networked "communities" and the dilution and ultimate demise of traditional distribution channels, Watch a global renaissance in consumption of art and culture. The margin between being famous and the rest of us becomes less so.
For More on the Emerging Trust Economy - http://trustedadvisor.com/trustmatters

AND NOW A WORD ABOUT THE OFFER OF “FREE SHIPPING”

2009-10-07T08:46:00.006-04:00

The concept of “free shipping” has proven to be a highly successful and compelling online offer for shoppers on the Internet. As a promotional tool, the cost to the seller is significantly better than what is required in the way of an equivalent discount to drive the same result.

One of the reasons consumers like free shipping offers, is that it makes an online transaction comparable with a local purchase at a neighborhood store. The buyer finds comfort in the offer, and this does not diminish the value of the product itself.
This is particularly valuable now for the smaller business, now that companies such as Amazon have made it a standard.

There is substantial evidence that packing and shipping fees are a primary cause of e-cart abandonment. Most of us have direct experience shopping online, where we are about to give our credit card, to complete their transaction, and then suddenly, the price of the total purchase skyrockets. Many shoppers exit quickly, leaving frustrated, and rarely, if ever return. Even in cases, where the fees are not excessive, we have been conditioned to expect higher online shipping fees, and this adds to the appeal of “free shipping”.

I encourage sellers to take advantage of this reality. Imagine an online shopping environment where the offer of “free shipping” is standardized. Now, analyze the cost structure of your products. When you arrive at your final retail selling price, add, what I call, a shipping fee offset. On a higher ticket item, add a smaller percentage, and on lower priced items, add a slightly higher percentage. The added percentage may not fully absorb shipping fees, but it will improve the margin of profit on your items, and give you “peace of mind”. Take these steps today. Once executed, your pricing structure will empower you to take advantage of “Free Shipping” without compromise to your brand, your items, and your costs.

16 Reasons Why Some Companies Refrain From Social Media Adoption

2009-08-30T16:18:00.008-04:00

With all the euphoria around social networks and their use by business, Why is there such hesitancy for a full embrace?

1. Potential to damage the company’s reputation
2. Executives Simply DO NOT KNOW enough about it.
3. Perception of social media foolish life-streaming without value.
4. No One Left on Marketing Team to Monitor - (Maybe CEO should)
5. Current Organizational Structure Ill-Suited to Maintain
6. Customers do not really use it at all.
7. No guaranteed results ( No one to really to blame on if it fails)
8. Tools for measurement are still immature.
9. Lose of Control over Brand. (Actually that is happening anyway!)
10.Fear of Making Mistakes. (Preventative health is better than curative)
11.Unwilling to be transparent. (Now that is the truth!)
12. No Money. (Use social currency, invest, and trade)
13. Ignorance. (That was a reasonable excuse in 2008 not now)
14. Confusion. (Paradigm shifts are notable for large amounts of confusion)
15. Expertise. (There are no experts. We are all learning together)
16. Too New. (Who knew?)

Small Business Can Win with Social Networking

2009-07-21T20:18:00.004-04:00

One can learn a great deal about the potential power of the social web by reflecting quietly on the comfort in service and social engagement from your favorite neighborhood store. A handshake, a smile, a conversation. Often, the first question being

"How can I help you?"

Strategically, a perfect question.

On Twitter, the question is

"What are you doing?"

For over sixty years, Anthony Dapolito (insert) managed his family's small Italian bakery with passion and compassion along Prince Street near Thompson. Anthony listened to the neighbors, whom often vented about something, somebody, or somewhere. He spoke quietly, offering advice, and over time, he became a man of local and social influence. He died in 2003, and the bakery continued to operate until this past February. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/nyregion/thecity/22vesu.html

There is a new paradigm emerging which will enable small business to leverage the qualities
of "small" to reach and service new customers via the Internet. The social web, and social
networks are going to empower the model. Small business will not simply appear as a store-front, so nostalgic and romantic. It will take form online, and redefine our perception of the "independents", and the freelance expert. The low cost of connectivity, and the abundance web-based digital content, offers an environment for small business to thrive. Storefront retailing
with its emphasis on touch, smell, and taste is being re-invented. The price of real estate for
storefront leases will go lower as the halo of Madison Avenue retrenches. Commerce will be
generated by a series of convergences and balances, online vs. offline, physical vs metaphysical,
social search, realtime news, and closer connectivity between the source of the product and
the customer....Stay tuned...The conversation begins now!

Social Web Strategy: Status Report

2009-07-12T09:54:00.018-04:00

Companies utilizing social networking platforms have primarily focused on its use as an extension of marketing and Public Relations. Most senior executives grasp the idea of building "brand awareness" and since entry costs appear to be low, why not? This is about the change.

The rapid adoption of social networking by a much larger base of users, across every demographic, and age group, is creating a new "context" for its use, and one that is incredibly timely given the challenges companies face to reach new customer prospects, and convert prospects into customers. For example, there is increasing evidence that traditional lead generation programs, offline and online, are in a deep state of fatigue...faltering at all points of measurement...particularly "conversion".

Many social web strategists, draw a correlation between the growth of social networking, as a primary communications tool, and growing resistence by many recipients to opening their opted-in email messages from favorite brands.

Using the social web to conduct social media campaigns focused on customer engagement, and prospecting for new customers has now taken center stage. What was just a novel "brand awareness" strategy just ten months ago, is giving way to "front-line" internal communication strategies within the companies, across many departments and team leaders. I anticipate that we are about to witness a fast-paced shift away from the use of Twitter, and Facebook as a general communications tool, to one focused on immediate and consistent contact with customers, engaged, and responsive. To be truly effective, and enable companies to move from social engagement to order transaction, there must be a strong commitment by management to implement "collaborative-type communications" internally. This will take place in many forms, some in a structured and measured form, others organically, and even a bit chaotic.

Its all good, so long we are involved, and listening...That is the world we live in now, and awareness to it is what social web strategy is all about.

SohoNews10012 - The Social Web and Store-Based Business

2009-07-09T14:14:00.005-04:00

SohoNews10012 is a hyperlocal news source reporting news, events, and daily offers taking place in Soho, a neighborhood where we live and work. We launched this news service on Twitter as a realtime testing bed in order to immerse ourselves deeply into a learning process on how Web 2.0 and social networking platforms, could be applied to the needs of neighborhood business. Our strategic interest is to demonstrate the power of the social web to connect residents, workers, visitors, and tourists to merchants, restaurants, salons, sightings, and daily value-based offers. We are learning every day, gathering business intelligence that we can share with our clients, and create an e-commerce business model that is convenient, efficient, and fun.
One interesting finding to date, has been the strong interest by single-store owners to adopt social media in order to secure a competitive advantage for lead generation, and reaching new customers against larger corporate-based brands, who maintain an outpost in Soho, but manage the location more "remotely". The ambient "intimacy" of the social web offers local business owners, more leverage via the Internet, than they have had to date with their websites. The demand by these smaller customers for tutorials, consultation, and updated web design work has been terrific. The benefits are significant. When we speak with store managers in store locations of well known brands, larger entities, we are often referred to the corporate office,
or the PR agency of the brand. This is enabling us to reach a much larger universe of contacts, and enabling us to promote the opportunity for hyperlocal news and e-commerce effectively.
Stay tuned.

Taking Care of Local Business First

2009-06-06T16:32:00.011-04:00

Twitter has the potential to drive substantial numbers of customers to single-owner stores, branded stores with trained store managers, and independent service establishments.

What is so intriguing about this opportunity, is what I call the "hyperlocal mindset". The now legendary adage "Think Global: Act Local" is uber-present when it comes to monetizing social network platforms for business.

I live and work and in one of the most visited neighborhoods in the world:
Soho! Imagine how terrific it will be as residents, workers, and visitors now begin following our hyperlocal news services (SohoNews10012) (as our working model) and connect to daily offers, and coupons, published by local merchants, and service professionals, delivered in real-time. Look for the introduction of "evaporative" offers, which expire in a matter of hours if not acted upon, or aggregated, much like a minimum reserve, by a number of community members, to trigger the benefits.

Luxury brands with multiple outposts, dependent more than ever on personalized services, must begin to deleverage decision-making at corporate, and delegate decision-making back out to the stores. Stores are on the front lines..and store managers of big brands in upscale neighborhoods, or malls (commerce eco-systems) should be trained as social relations ambassadors connected to corporate thru internal social web communication systems. This begins to help big business act like local business. Meanwhile, single-store owners, passionate and highly informed, are perfectly positioned to capitalize on Web 2.0 connectivity, well timed as we change the way business is conducted.

I believe strongly that social web platforms, with Twitter in a leading position, will change the flow for billions of dollars of transactional commerce, back to local business. We are testing a number specific concepts everyday in Soho, our own neighborhood. The response has been terrific, merchants are looking to be educated, while service professionals, dependent on scheduling their "time-based inventory" recognize the efficiencies.

The use of Twitter for "micro-payments" small loans, or payments between companies and their customers , is being tested and will impact local-minded business dramatically. Watch for the introduction of "social currency", a neighborhood barter system, more valuable than cash for consumers operating within the local zipcode or area.

Stay tuned as we learn together. The conversation starts now!

Product-Centric Brands are Imploding - Customer Centric Brands are Exploding

2009-05-31T16:45:00.005-04:00

Today, brands are mostly product-centric- Brands try and persuade us to buy their products because of their reputation for high quality, or good value. This is rapidly shifting. In an environment, where "return on attention" becomes a key measurement of performance, a new kind of brand is emerging-one that is customer-centric. As social networks deepen the inter-linkage between individuals, and individuals place greater trust in their association with others of shared interest, brands who assure their customers that they are listening, and responding to the input of the "community" will likely thrive. Customer-centric brands will begin to emphasize their ability to listen well...the more attention received by the individual customer...the more responsive the brand will become in satsifying the need. Watch for the rise of the "infomediaries", those who can crunch the data, interpret the data, and become more predictive of how the data translates into trend....Stay tuned.

Social Web Strategy: Start by Looking Inside!

2009-05-25T09:55:00.009-04:00

One of the immediate consequences of putting a “social web and media” strategy into practice, and often overlooked, is the opportunity to improve internal communications between team leaders and staff across the organization. With all of the corporate downsizing, the need for faster, and more efficient means of sharing information, and content between departments is crucial. Everyone needs connectivity to everyone else.

The tendency to latch on to social media as a quick fix for marketing will prove to be frustrating, and short-lived without attending to strengthening internal communications.

Companies as a whole –beyond marketing– must prepare themselves for open engagement with customers, suppliers, and new prospects. Without sufficient preparation, senior leaders are likely to feel "invaded upon" and lack of preparation will be painful. I think it best to initially focus on establishing the right "mindset" among management and associated staff. This is a strategic task when properly executed, will enable all involved to be tolerant of tactical tasks which often face timeline hurdles from lack of bandwidth, and implementative challenges.

Recognizing that social technologies will become pervasive...here is an excerpt from noted

social media advisor for Forrester, Jeremiah Owyang...

Social technologies are creeping into nearly every aspect of business, making this incredibly difficult for brands to manage as so many systems –and therefore stakeholders– are looped in willing or not. Having spoken to some brands that are tackling this change, here’s some practical advice that I learned the top firms are doing:

1) Recognize the trend that social technologies are crossing over to all aspects of the business: If you’re responsible for social media leadership in your company, recognize that this technology is pervasive beyond corp comm and marketing as we saw in the last few years.

2) Yet, as things start to get complicated, simplify: Rather than focus on the all of the distinct arenas that social crosses, focus on the trend that customers and their opinions will be part of nearly every aspect of your business –even if you don’t choose for them to be present.

3) Start the culture change now with internal education: The internal culture change is the biggest hurdle for companies. I spoke to a traditional media company yesterday that is quickly migrating away from print to online, and is conducting internal ’show and tell brown bag sessions’ across the enterprises where people can come from any department.

4) Rather than build a strategy focused on technologies, build around customers and employees: Above all, don’t focus on the technologies themselves, start to train yourself to start and end a discussion with customers (and/or employees) rather than “Twitter”.

5) Organize your company for social: There’s an innovation curve here that your company must jump, but to be successful, you’ll need to change not technology (only 20%) but culture, strategy, process, roles, and how you measure (the other 80%).

A Shift from Capital to Talent

2009-05-13T23:19:00.000-04:00

Despite what you might think given the current job market, the most pressing critical factor influencing success in business is shifting from capital to talent. Companies are doing their downsizing and the remaining staff are multi-tasking, strained, and in many cases, constrained. This is not good for everyone, the undereducated and those whose talents are not now in demand are losing ground.

But there is a bright side. Employers are confronting the realization that their most talented employees, are showing up with an ethical agenda. Employees who can easily find work elsewhere are refusing to work on projects or for companies that offend their values, even with the potential to be well paid to do so. I am confident that this trend will accelerate, as the economy stabilizes. Observe talented team leaders taking a stand for sustainability when choosing their careers. Watch closely as investors and shareholders in public companies make their investment decisions with the conviction that companies dedicated to sustainability as a core value, offer the best ROI because it it those companies whom will attract the best talent.

As social web interlinkage expands, and commerce becomes driven by connectivity to content, ideals, trust, and sustainability will become a competitive advantage. Counter to what traditional media may report, talented people are making sustainable career choices in increasing numbers and this will grow as social web platforms enable ambient intimacy between groups of people with shared interests. Stay tuned as we look at this trend on the future of retailing...and shopping in a Web3.0 eco-system.

"The Brand is Me" to "The Brand is We"

2009-04-25T21:57:00.000-04:00

Do you remember when in the year 1998, the Internet was having its coming out party, and surging, young consumers began to say "I want to stop wearing labels" and begin acting like myself. I am me. I am special. I am not a super-model. I am strong.
That was a watershed moment, a shift from push to pull. Tom Peters weighed in with his "Brand is you" sermons.and hunting for vintage fashion, mixing and matching, mash-up in make-up...all took hold. Impotency was felt by many brands and accelerated the switch to spending more for online advertising, search, away from traditional media spending.

Today, the accelerating pace of adoption by millions globally, is setting the stage for the 21st century edge economics, where the pre-occupation with "me"...will give way to the ideals of "we". The community, the power of association, and our desire
to align with trust will be paramount. An entirely new set of tools are being assembled to handle an evolved DNA for business. Crowdsourcing 2.0, Hyperlocal News feeds, deep connectivity, extracting greater efficiencies for one's daily spending budget.

Stay tuned right here as we explore the methods, the approach, and the inevitability of change.

Social Media - Director of Community - The Job

2009-04-19T22:08:00.001-04:00

Here is the first of several job descriptions which I have prepared to assist clients recruit and identify the leadership to manage social web and networking responsibilities in-house:

As Director of Community, you will act as:

1. A community evangelist within the company by actively seeking feedback from our userbase and managing customer support. You will work closely with all departments of the company as a representative of our diverse community.
2. A brand ambassador on behalf of the Company engaging with users and potential users. You will create and manage creative community-driven marketing campaigns online and off.

List of Duties:
•Manage customer support team
•Create and manage customer support & community moderation procedures
•Help define the voice of the brand by writing copy and interacting with users
•Manage Community Guidelines and Establish "Best Practices" for social web activities
•Identify, support and encourage leaders within the Company and its staff.
•Represent the Company and its community at conferences and events
•Identify key topics relevant to the brand, and manage the publishing and sharing of content through social media like Twitter, Facebook and blogs
•Create and manage innovative community-driven marketing campaigns (online and off)
•Interact with bloggers and traditional press
•Work with partner organizations and public events to introduce the Company to new users

Required Skills:
•Communication, writing
•Online customer support
•Online forum/social network moderation
•Social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, RSS, blogs, etc.)
•Project management

Additional Expertise a Plus:
•Experience in marketing
•Event production/coordination a plus
•Experience with technology development process in startup environment
•Public speaking
•Technical knowledge pertaining to social web sites and software

The Mass is Past - Emerging Micro-Markets

2009-04-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

Social Networks are the most powerful examples of how "social media will become like air". They operate as interlinked ecosystems, which incubate and nurture relationships between people and the content they create and exchange. Expect to see an increasing number of social networks, offering different market segments ways to connect and form communities.

As these communities become more defined, size becomes less important, and traditional "bigger is better" pursuits to service "mass" culture will evaporate.

As size becomes less important, Chris Anderson's "long-tail" principles, where many micro-markets are linked together, will reshape how we communicate with one another.
Watch closely as old world news journalists, many whom are being displaced, work in partnership with technologists to produce content that both machines and humans can read. In fact, what humans read, will become a subset of machine-readable content.
Why? It will be more profitable.

Social Networking platforms, and other online communities are also altering how sellers engage and interact with buyers. Being a merchant, I am fascinated with what this will mean for e-commerce? What impact will these developments have on the store-based retailing.

Recognizing that the primary challenge for business is now directed at managing the pace of change, we will see continued pressure to de-leverage traditional business structure, its overhead and how it is organized. Watch for major changes in staffing, and ask to read the job descriptions.

But, executive leadership, remain entrenched in top-down, and "branding" concepts relevant just a few years ago, but now "fatigued". This is a strong impediment to true engagement in building relationships and trust through sharing content, and connectivity with smaller micro-communities. Watch for changes in the year ahead.

As we begin to cope with the superhuman rate of expansion in global information production, it is likely that smaller teams of networked professionals, operating with minimal direct overhead, will be better positioned to leverage disruptive technologies, apply them, ground them into profitable form, and thrive.

Stay tuned here as we turn our attention to the impact of these changes on the business of media, art, lifestyle shopping, and more.

Specialty Retailing - The Game Has Changed

2009-04-08T09:06:00.000-04:00

Specialty retailing, which emerged in the 1970's, blossomed, as merchants found they could concentrate on specific product categories, offering greater variety and quality, more informed service, offering a pleasant shopping alternative to the department stores, which were flourishing at the time. Shopping moved to malls, real estate rules retail, and the economics were appealing. The specialty store category gained traction and as department stores diminished in popularlity, specialty stores gained, expanded, and "chains" found a foothold...Consumers liked the brands, and store-based shopping in malls enjoyed a renaissance..The web came along, multi-channel selling took hold, direct marketers opened stores, stores went online, and the consumer supported it all. It worked...In my estimation, the game has changed forever. Stores will continue to exist, but their purpose will be redefined Web-based commerce thru online channels will continue expand, but top-down brands will find find it increasingly difficult to drive new prospects to their websites without adjusting to the paradigm shift underway in how consumers will shop and transact.

Our interest is to observe, listen, and engage with the marketplace to understand these shifts. We intend to share insights and trends with you, learning together, focused on the relevancy of e-commerce and the shopping experience as social networking goes global, as linkage of content becomes more seamless, as rich media and video help us all become storytellers. Information is energy, and consumers are going to transact based on the associations and trust established with those of social influence around topics of shared interest. It is clear to me that e-commerce connectivity, content, and community are going to be interwoven....

TRENDS TO WATCH:

ROI - Return on Investment = Return on Influence

Social Influence Marketing will go mainstream by 2010

Social Media Usage will shift the focus to Social Influence

Think Global - Shop Local -

Search will transform into topics and trends

Community-based purchasing will emerge.

Stay tuned.

THE ‘ART OF SLOW”

2009-04-06T18:46:00.000-04:00

A WAY OF LIVING, A SET OF VALUES, A CELEBRATION OF THE HANDMADE

By Lou Sagar

The Slow Food Foundation http://www.slowfood.com for Biodiversity was initially formed in partnership with the Region of Tuscany, recognizing that the appreciation of cooking and fine foods must include the safeguarding of local farms, and the preservation of cultural traditions. What began as a movement focused upon a concern for “terra-verde” (Mother Earth), is now emerging as a “global mindset” promoting a healthier approach to contemporary living and sustainable values. At its core, there is deep admiration for the handmade. In fact, it’s notable that the birthing of this movement took place in Italy, a country which, during the Renaissance, made the artisan noble. The crafting of handmade objects was celebrated. Ceramicists, glassblowers, metalworkers, woodworkers, and goldsmiths, were honored.

Opposed to the culture of fast food, the sub-movement known as Slow Flood turns our attention to celebrate the “process” of growing and making things as much as it does the end “product” itself. The process is an essential part of the story, which enhances the experience. There is respect for materials, techniques, and presentation. Often misunderstood, the first impression of “Slow” is the idea that we one should “slow down”, which is certainly not the intent at all. It’s the added pleasure and wisdom we enjoy when we practice the “art of slow”, which is how I have come to appreciate and share it.

As we all know, the responsibilities associated with our busy lives and work, are often hectic, and overwhelming. As we move towards spring (in this hemisphere), keep “the art of slow” in mind as you celebrate the Easter, and Passover holidays later this month. Think global but shop local. Ask local growers to tell you their stories. Use small dishes for tastings. Get the kids out into the garden to feel the soil. Spend a night outside looking at the stars. Most of all, encourage gifts of the handmade for friends, family, and associates.

Happy Spring.

Buying Online is Better for Environment

2009-04-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

Using data provided by Buy.com and building on previous Green Design Institute studies, Carnegie Mellon researchers have compared the energy use and carbon dioxide emissions associated with delivering a flash drive from a manufacturer to a home via the traditional retail channel and via Buy.com's ecommerce channel.

In one scenario tested, the researchers found that buying from Buy.com reduced environmental impact with 35% less energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than that produced in the traditional retail shopping model.

Key findings include:

The traditional retail distribution model, combined with factors such as product packaging and customers driving to and from stores, resulted in greater energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than in the Buy.com online shopping model.
The largest contributors to energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions were from customer transport for traditional retail, and packaging and 'last mile' delivery to customer homes for ecommerce.
Approximately 65% percent of total emissions generated by the traditional retail model stemmed from customer transport to and from retail stores.
"In a study of this nature with numerous variables, we took great care to estimate average case performance using simulations and approximations," said H Scott Matthews, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon and research director of the Green Design Institute. "We were able to show that in the majority of cases studied, the Buy.com ecommerce model does perform better than shopping at traditional retail in the areas of carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption."

10 Mistakes to Avoid for E-Commerce Start-ups

2009-03-28T23:26:00.000-04:00

#1 - Blowing the budget on web development and neglecting marketing:

In the brick and mortar world, you get free traffic just by setting up shop on the street corner. The same does not apply for eCommerce. The “if you build it, they will come” mentality still exists in the minds of zealous, first time internet entrepreneurs. If you want a successful website, plan on spending as much on marketing and optimization in the first year as you pay for developing the site.

#2 - Getting Stuck in Endless Cycles of Design Revisions:

In traditional marketing or store operations, you have to get it right the first time, because it’s too expensive to redo your store signage a week after you open. However, the tools available to you online allow you to easily evolve and optimize your website overtime. As General George Patton once said, “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” The same applies to websites. Don’t expect a perfect website on day one. Rather than focusing on perfection, make a commitment to optimization after the website launches.

#3 - Forgetting people can’t touch your products:

This point may seem painfully obvious, but its often overlooked because companies know their products a little too well. It’s amazing how many eCommerce sites neglect appropriate zoom-in photos, contextual photos, and product descriptions. Take a look at the top performing websites in your niche, and pay close attention to how they describe and picture their products.

#4 - Not realizing website visitors aren’t as committed as store visitors

It’s easy for business owners to imagine a website visitor in the same way they perceive an in-store visitor. This is a serious mistake. While it’s not uncommon for retail stores to experience conversion rates of over 50% (half of the people who enter the store buy). a 3% conversion rate for website, would be considered acceptable. Why this disparity? It all comes down to commitment. The amount of commitment required to get in the car and drive yourself to a retail store is much greater than the commitment from a casual surfer who clicks on your website from Google. In the physical world, your competitor is 10 minutes away. Online, they’re a few clicks away.

What does this mean? It means that any obstacle, large or small, that gets in the way of buying process will cause lost sales. It also means that you must add value to the customer experience, especially if you sell the same products as your competitors.

#5 - Using Print media for online media:

You know that killer flyer you made for your big sale event? Odds are it makes a terrible email blast. What about the retail catalog you invested so much on? It too, is likely very ineffective as an online version. Print and online media may be similar in some ways, but there are more differences than similarities. When choosing a designer for your website or online marketing projects, make sure they have significant experience with online creative, not just print media.

#6 - Ignoring Online Trust Issues:

In the face to face real world security, and privacy are rarely top concerns for customers. eCommerce, however, is inherently “taxed” with a low-trust environment, causing visitors to doubt the legitimacy of your site. You must go the extra mile to assuage these perfectly rational fears. This includes assuring customers of their information is secure, and that you value their privacy.

#7 - Having a “Home Page equals the Website” mentality:

In countless situations, I have seen companies place too much emphasis on the homepage, particularly the graphics, and woefully neglect other critical pages such as the product or category pages. A recent company I work with was surprised to learn that total pageviews of their homepage represented less than 4% of overall pageviews on their website. Yes, the homepage is important, but don’t go overboard and ignore other essentials.

#8 -Chasing After Every Internet Fad

Don’t go chasing after the latest and greatest internet marketing tactic or ecommerce feature. Yes, there are many exciting new tools and marketing tactics out there, but focus on the sure-fire methods first, such as search marketing, email marketing, and website usability. There’s much to be said about innovation and trying new things, but take every opportunity with a grain of salt, considering the opportunity cost.

#9 - Not Understanding or Caring about Web Analytics:

You can read a balance sheet, now make a commitment to understanding basic website analytics. In a physical store, the idea of analyzing customer activity is far fetched and impractical. For this reason, business owners often never realize the potential of not just monitoring but acting upon web analytics data. It’s vital that someone in the organization can understand and interpret web analytics.

#10 - Failing to Integrate your In-Store & Online Channels Early on:

Many large click-and-mortar retailers are still struggling to seamlessly integrate their in-store and online channels. Channel conflict, price discrepancies, and a siloing mentality are common, causing brand confusion for your customers. Many store managers believe promoting an eCommerce website will steal store sales. Make sure to educate your store staffers early on, highlighting the many synergies of online and in-store retailing.

Thanks to Justin Palmer for putting this together.

Social Retailing - Change Catalyst - Part 1

2009-03-26T23:06:00.001-04:00

eCommerce Strategies

2009-03-25T23:48:00.000-04:00

Here are 7 ecommerce strategies for standing out in a digital world.

1. Use expanded descriptions, multiple product views to convey the real value of your products. You wouldn’t nail down shirts in a clothing store so why would you only offer one view of your products? This doesn’t have to use elaborate or expensive technology, multiple views, close-ups and live use photos can provide a lot of information other stores don’t bother to share.

2. Invite customer opinion with customer product reviews and real life testimonials. Consider adding customer comments as audio clips. Adding customers audio testimonials can be a simple as taping a phone conversation. (With permission of course) Using audio clips is simple, inexpensive and does not require technical expertise or expensive online tools. By itself an audio testimonial may not make the sale but it is a very effective tipping tool, helping to nudge reticent buyers over their hesitation and into a sale.

3. Offer relevant information that doesn’t sell. You heard me right, give people information for free without trying to sell them anything. Remember that the main reason people are online is to get information -period. That is the primary goal especially before they buy. Statistics show that the longer people stay on your website the more likely they are to buy from your store (even if they decide to buy at a brick and mortar store) Use an irresistible giveaway to capture emails of people not yet ready to buy and use your content to keep them engaged until they are ready.

You can write articles, give teleclasses, offer whitepapers, provide downloads, share interviews, recipes or helpful hints. Make sure the information is informative, entertaining and relevant to your customers rather than a veiled attempt to sell. People can smell hype a mile away and this is the kiss of death online. Always remember your competitors are only a click away.

4. Get into video. A brief welcome message that shares your value proposition can give s a call to action can engage visitors and move them down the buying path. Use videos to educate your visitors on product uses or assembly. Create a short comparing product features or demonstrate the product in use. Keep your videos short (under 3 minutes) and clear. Host your videos on public sites like Viddler or Youtube and post them on your website. Here are a few examples talking about connecting with your website visitors.

It might seem that video clips within product descriptions are a luxury but I foresee video product descriptions as being the norm within 5 years. According to Internet tracking firm comScore’s Video Metrix, Americans watched about 14.8 billion videos in January 2009, or roughly 101 videos per U.S. Internet user. Todays online shoppers are using alternate avenues like YouTube to research product. Get a jump on the competition by giving your online shoppers a bigger experience, not by lowering your prices.

5. Put a face on your store - people buy form people not computers. Yes they use the computer to do it but they want to know there are real people who will back up their purchases, especially with higher ticket items, or products they are not sure they need. This will become increasingly important in a slow economy because buyers are not as willing to risk a purchase if they feel their concerns will get lost in cyberspace.

Consider adding human pictures to your about us page. Include staff picks or reviews and encourage your employees to write on the blog, social media sites and to contribute articles. After all these are the people your virtual customers will interact with. Don’t hide behind a virtual storefront - don’t be afraid to let your customers get to know the people they are buying from.

6. Make sure your online store has a clear value proposition that speaks to your target market. This value statement must answer the question that is on your best customers mind; “Why should I buy form you over the other guys?” If your website cannot convey this critical piece of information then your visitors will definitely miss it. Your ideal customer should immediately recognize that they are in the perfect place when they land on your ecommerce site.

Many online stores resist crafting a clear value proposition that targets a particular type of customer for fear of alienating other visitors. Look at your statistics and you might see that you make most of your money from a niche group or groups. A clear value proposition targets these customers and tells them exactly why you are the best solution to their problem.

7. Use social media to establish relationships and get feedback. Believe it or not your customers are hanging out in communities online. No, you may not visit Facebook or Linked in but social media sites are doubling every year. They aren’t just for teenagers anymore. The purpose of social media sites is to share opinions and interests. Connect with target market through blogs, twitter, linked in, Facebook, Stumbleupon or any of the dozens of niche social media sites.

Your customers are having conversations with or without you so schedule in an hour a week to schmooze online. This is a way to make connections, not sales - keep it authentic , informative and reap the benefits of worldwide word of mouth referrals.

The way people buy has changed forever with internet ecommerce. The world is literally your marketplace and customers can live just about anywhere. Using just one of these suggestions could immediately increase your ecommerce store profits. Now imagine what implementing all 7 could do!

These simple ecommerce strategies can help your online store stand out in a digital world.

The Power of Social Media

2009-03-24T22:41:00.000-04:00

Chris Brogan makes a good point recently when he reminds us that "we have inexpensive tools for production and distribution of media, and that these tools permit a whole new era of gatejumping, where we can build awareness, reputation, and trust into a whole new path by which to build relationships. That’s the secret."

2009 is a year for inspiration and action...As I often mention to my clients, associates, and friends..."The Conversation Begins Now". The real work ahead is in doing the work, practicing the craft each, day, and in applying the tools to achieve the objectives each and every business has, mobilizing their staff to carry out a mission, deliver on a value proposition that is relevant, maintain a high level of service, keep prices competitive and be in "action" mode...not planning mode.Planning is doing....thats my mantra...for the balance of the year. I say lets get to work...and I am ready to help!

Social Media Strategy - Doing the Work

2009-03-21T15:41:00.000-04:00

During the past six months, I have been conducting tutorials on social media for a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and close associates in order to develop an approach for the design, and implementation of an impactful social media strategy. I was right. Sitting down, one on one, helping smart people become better informed to the social media landscape,doing a walk-thru of Twitter and other tools, has proven invaluable. Sharing the value proposition, interacting, and simply "listening" to each question, providing answers, has helped me illustrate a key mantra for long-term success: the importance of establishing "trust".

Here is a distillation of how I am now working with clients:

GETTING STARTED / CORE VALUES:

embrace the art of listening
participate in the conversation
share value and inform
attention is scarce - more valuable than cash
focus on the Return of Influence - the new ROI
we are going to constantly all learn together

Social media is a sustainable process not an event. It is less about the numbers, than it is the quality of the associations and the interactions you have with customers, members, and fans.

THREE BIG MANTRAS:

transparency, authenticity, trust.

Depending on the size of the enterprise, we then focus on creating a primary
set of goals or "Calls to Action" - These goals can then be measured against
a set of tasks implemented in a thoughtful set of stages. Social media becomes more effective when implemented in phases, allowing time for evaluation,measurement, and insuring a positive rhythm and flow for the organization and essential for success.

For more information on what we are learning, or to engage in a tutorial,
simply reach out and be in touch.

Stay tuned for consistent updates and reporting from the field...

How do you budget the idea of "Free"?

2009-03-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

I like Chris Anderson, editor of wired, and respected for his seminal work "The Long Tail". Marketers, particularly retailers, must position their brands for a new and completely inverse value proposition whereas up to now, 5% of what they market has been given away free (the 95% balance sold at a price) to a value proposition whereby 95% of what they market is given away for free, and (5% is paid for). Now, as a former merchant, I know this concept is difficult to grasp. However, I believe it is an inevitable fact. We are entering the age of "free". Chris calls it "Freemium"...
My clients keep asking me, well "how do you budget for free? Ironically, I see it
as the new cost center. It is the creative and technical resources to manage the
marketing and distribution of "free" which has a cost. I believe, for many marketerss, a primary strategic benefit for the immediate implementation of a social media strategy is to insure that the costs associated with "free" are leveraged, that social currency is earned, groups of individuals with shared interests are identified, communities are formed, and the marketer can maintain a following for the products and services offered. This will certainly evolve traditional pricing structures to a point where discounting as we know it will fade!!
Stay tuned for more.

Getting Things Done

2009-03-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

Write down ideas
Define the next step
Make sure that step can be done in two minutes
Label information and make it accessible
Review lists regularly

The Cult of Done - Retailers" Pay Attention

2009-03-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

Cult of Done Manifesto: a name for my disease
Posted by Cory Doctorow, March 3, 2009 11:44 AM | permalink

1. There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion.
2. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
3. There is no editing stage.
4. Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you're doing even if you don't and do it.
5. Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an idea done, abandon it.
6. The point of being done is not to finish but to get other things done.
7. Once you're done you can throw it away.
8. Laugh at perfection. It's boring and keeps you from being done.
9. People without dirty hands are wrong. Doing something makes you right.
10. Failure counts as done. So do mistakes.
11. Destruction is a variant of done.
12. If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done.
13. Done is the engine of more.

Heading to Austin

2009-03-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

It was a sort of worlds-collide surprise when I heard recently from a few guys from my hometown whom I've known since college. They wanted to talk to me about this month's South by Southwest Interactive Festival, that annual everyone-goes-there ...http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10194175-36.html?tag=mncol;title#comments

Why Online Retailers Should Blog

2009-03-09T17:52:00.000-04:00

As marketers move to put social media infrastructure into place, blogging remains a key component of the overall strategy.

Here are the highlights:

Overall Blogging Benefit for Online Retailers: Blogs help you…

Build strong brand
Gain competitive edge
Establish yourself as an expert in your industry
Get Search engine rankings
Inexpensive online marketing campaign
Get new ideas to improve your online business
Build good customer relationship
Provide better online shopping experience to your audience
Get quick exposure
Reach new audience
Gain authenticity
For the complete article: http://tiny.cc/hko7q

What's Up with Larry Gagosian

2009-03-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

David Segal wrote a story on the state of affairs with Larry Gagosian, the big-time art dealer, which was published today in the NY Sunday Times. The fact that Larry would not comment for an article of this importance, during a period, where one would expect that he would be grateful for the opportunity to communicate a message stirs suspicion and makes me wonder. A man of his stature in the art world should be encouraging us to go out and invest in art, to find ways in our business's to put artists to work...to get out and enjoy art in our museums....
But no, The fact is, there is simply "no comment", business as usual. Whats up with this?

Design Time Calculated

2009-03-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

“Design is 70% dealing with people, 3% the idea, 2% selling the idea, 2% the brief, 2% being pig headed, 1% printing, 3% eye for detail, .6% invoices, 2% coffee, .7% tracking, .1% warm glow, .6% panic, 1% 4am, .6% staring, .2% checking, 1% letting go, .8% keeping hold, .7% estimates, .3% checking, .4% proofs, .1% colour, .9% understanding, .4% marketing, 1% checking, .8% beach ball, .5% mice, .3% keynotes, .4% persuasion, .2% bragging, .5% smiling, 2% knowing when to stop.”
Duane King
Anyone bold enough to offer a different mix of percentages?

Social Media for Retailers - Why Now?

2009-03-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

It’s the perfect storm; economic contraction, declining revenues, budget cutbacks, and limited staff resources. In light of this environment, Executive leadership is exhibiting reluctance to begin new projects or explore new approaches. As traditional media continues to decline, social media is ramping and accelerating. Realize now that there are new skill sets to be recruited. Training of existing staff is crucial. Social media requires an investment, commitment, and will demand a focus. The benefits are many, here are some reasons why start now.
Increased Brand Awareness
Content can be created and spread through social media to improve public perception of your brand by evoking specific qualities which make it distinct from others. For new websites or businesses, this pervasive visibility generates brand familiarity. Social media channels can rapidly generate word of mouth and buzz for most brands.
Reputation Management
The goal here is to positively influence the way a potential and existing customer/audience perceives your brand. Leaders must get involved in the conversation taking place around their brands. Monitoring search results, public forums and feedback channels to track and address what is commented upon. Some view this as social media optimization, although it is often classified as pull-marketing.
Improved Search Engine Rankings
When considered within a larger SEO and link building framework, content can be creatively developed and promoted for the purpose of obtaining links from the members of the social news websites. This means you should primarily target social sites with the highest potential to give you links, instead of smaller-sized communities which only offer interested traffic. While important, your site’s profile need not be entirely relevant to the social media website in question; content can be created specifically to appeal to different audiences.
Increased Relevant Visitor Traffic.
Invest time and resources to engage with social communities which have a high topical relevance. The social site’s topical focus should be inline with what your site covers/offers. For example, instead of promoting your Internet marketing articles through wide platforms, try placing the content on smaller, targeted sites associated most closely with the appropriate communities, which will result in a higher conversion around more lively “conversations”.
Improve Sales for a Product or Service.
Increase your product sales, by associating with topics that insure attraction to the goods and services you are interested in promoting. Attempt to connect with leaders, and experts who carry influence. Hard selling a social media audience through an overtly commercial profile is not advisable because it will come across as marketing spam. One solution is to segment the market and focus on being the number one solution for specific user problems. Naturally, you should mostly target communities which are highly relevant to your niche focus because this increases the likelihood for traffic to convert

For Facebook, More Users Are More Problems

2009-02-28T15:29:00.000-05:00

At the moment when most social networks flatline, Facebook is taking off. But for Mark Zuckerberg, 175 million users are just the beginning of his headaches. Money, spam, and crime are spoiling his online utopia.

read more | digg story

Emerging Trends in Community Based Commerce

2009-02-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

The emergence of community based commerce is being experienced thru a global collaboration of artists, artisans, and the inspirations derived from the handmade.

What's Up with Dean and Deluca

2009-02-22T00:04:00.000-05:00

For twenty-five years, I have lived and worked in Soho. Having been a keen observer of the neighborhood's ebbs and flows, I am doing a shout out to those of you who know and love the flagship corner store in Soho known as Dean and Deluca. What is going on there? The downshift in service, and poor food quality, most notably in the prepared foods area, dishonors a neighborhood landmark. Perhaps, the tourists who frequent the place from all over the world are still charmed, and coffee outposts may make the margin, but someone upstairs better wake up and clean up the place.
I share this post out of respect for a brand, that should be working harder than ever in this economy, to stay relevant.

Twitter's inventor on the site's prehistoric document

2009-02-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

Sitting in the Flickr archives is a nearly 10-year-old document uploaded a couple of years ago by its author, Jack Dorsey, who started Twitter in 2006 along with co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. The legal-pad sketch of the idea that would become Twitter has been noticed before, but we thought we'd ask him about it in a little more detail.

The Luxury Tsunami

2009-02-19T23:44:00.000-05:00

The marketing of luxury products will never recover...Its a tsunami of gigantic proporations..so okay, luxury players were very late to the web...so reluctant..so much ego, wanting touch and feel...now evaporating..but in the wake of the floods..
will be its rebirth, thru connectivity, and socializing...stay tuned...

Twitter Glitter

2009-02-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

Twitter is sparkling and a great tool for business if put into an overall social media plan. stay tuned...as we all learn together!

Slow Flow - Getting Informed

2009-02-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

Slow is not about slowing down, Slow is about Smart. Slow is about taking time to be visual…Slow is about loving to do a tumblelog and sharing it…Slow is about learning…Slow is suave.

The Future of Retailing

2009-02-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

People are demonstrating continued movement away from transacting by savvy brand persuasion, as they seek to re-establish some trust and authenticity in the products and services they consume.

Where is the Value?

2009-02-08T13:25:00.000-05:00

Lets get real...Retailers need to get involved right away in the "value" of the "conversation" and work harder this year to get away from the "value" of the "discount". The conversation begins here now....I say "Put Artists to Work", What do you say?

Redefining Luxury - 2009

2009-02-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

Get into the conversation on how luxury is being redefined. It is a valued association with a mindset, groups of people with shared values, good storytelling, and products of superb quality and craftsmanship. Take your time. A great place to watch luxury re-invent itself with people like Carl Honore, and his praise of "slowness". Doing it SLOW, and how well you do it SLOW is the new barometer…SLOW FOOD…starts it off, and watch it right here on Tumblr.com to see where it goes.

The Conversation Prism

2009-02-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

This is a very cool presentation of a new and evolving galaxy, where a rich textural weave of culture, content, and community is birthing the new and innovative.

THE CONVERSATION STARTS HERE

The Future of Celebrity

2009-02-05T23:43:00.000-05:00

“I believe the distance between those who are famous and the rest of us is rapidly getting smaller! The impact of the long tail where greater trust is placed in smaller communities of shared interests, away from mythic popular figures, will change how people buy forever. People will buy in association with others, and much less so in response to brand messages.”

Trusting Brands and Banks

2009-02-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

Commerce is going to increasingly be driven by how well we are connected to content generated by topics of interest…emanating from groupings of people sharing similar interests, listening in and participating in the “conversation”…I am already buying more each day based on my association with others, influenced by a multitude of factors..such as opinions, testimonials, referrals, good deals, availability, good tips, free shipping, all of it…I think we are going to see people trust these factors and influences significantly more than they trust brands…and
banks…

Downturn Accelerates Paradigm Shift

2009-02-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

The current economic downturn is a transition, accelerating a paradigm shift for marketers, no matter how big, or small, to move away from traditional "interruptive" media, towards selective social media tools thoughtfully assembled for engagement and conversation.

About Lou

2009-01-01T12:00:00.023-05:00

Lou Sagar is a recognized trend innovator in home, art, and consumer lifestyle retailing. As the founder of ZONA, the distinctive specialty home and lifestyle retailer, Lou built a showcase emporium for his pioneering development of lifestyle merchandising. In 1980, he opened his flagship store in the Soho area of New York, anticipating the emergence of Soho as an international destination for art and design. During a span of 17 years, he built a world-class lifestyle brand with nine retail locations and substantial wholesale operations distributing private label home furnishings, and lifestyle products throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. An accomplished author and speaker, Lou Sagar is widely regarded for his trend-setting home and lifestyle book Zona Home published in 1998 by Harper Collins. In 1998, he sold his company to a private investment group.

Between 1998, and 2000, Lou worked on assignments with AOL, I-Village, and Oxygen Media, advising specialty retailers on the strategic benefits of online banner advertising, as a compliment to traditional media, including, brand positioning, early-stage click-stream analytics, and search. These early adopters included Godiva, J. Crew, Sharper Image, and Lands End.

In 2001, Lou launched a boutique consultative practice supervising the integration of the web as an online distribution channel for specialty retailing marketers and assisting executive leaders, such as Eileen Fisher, with new business development and strategic partnership formation.

Between 2006 and 2008, Lou joined ABC Home, and worked closely with founder Paulette Cole, to redirect the brand, product assortment and merchandising towards eco-friendly and sustainable materials in furnishings, and accessories.

Since 2008, Lou has concentrated on advising a diverse range of clients as a business consultant and social strategist. The role of the social strategist is to advise and supervise brand presence on the Internet, including website, blogs, and all engagement on social networks. He has an exceptional understanding of this emerging field, having worked with clients from small entrepreneurial start-ups to larger organizations. Recent engagements have included Etsy.com, Zappos.com, eBay, the Uniform Project and Dean and Deluca.

In 2010, Lou connected his interest in social strategic work with art and culture. He was a co-producer of the acclaimed “conversation” between Ai Weiwei, China’s leading contemporary artist/activist and Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter on the topic of digital activism in China held at the Paley Center for Media in New York City. Lou continues to work closely with the artist in web and marketing development. Lou has advised “The Art of Basketball”, a collaboration between PWD, the NBA, and leading street and graffiti artists for the launch of the brand during Art Basel Miami. He advised the Cracking Art Group of Rome, creators of the famous Pink Snails Project.

He is a senior director to The GreenShows, a firm dedicated to the future of retailing sustainably produced fashion, jewelry, and accessories, and serves as a senior team member for The Lakeside Collaborative, a boutique retail consultancy to major Museums.

Clients + Projects

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Internet and Web-Technology

Etsy
eBay
The Uniform Project
Zappos
Oxygen Media
I-Village

Home, Fashion and Lifestyle

AHA Life
The GreenShows
Restore Clothing
ABC Home
Dean & Deluca
Frette
Thonet
Eileen Fisher
Victoria's Secret
Putumayo World Music
Urban Outfitters
Tommy Boy Records

Art and Museums

Barnes Foundation
Friends of the Highline
Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals, Zodiac Heads, World Tour 2011-12
Miami Art Museum
Museum of Arts and Design
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Lincoln Center for Performing Arts
Cartoon Museum
The Core Club
Pratt Institute
Museums Magazine
MOMA

Trends 2011

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Here are some of the trends we are working on:

Digital Activism
Rise of “Trust Agents” as points of Influence

Convergence of Philanthropy, Fashion, Sustainability, + Commerce

Public Relations becoming Social Relations

e-Commerce influenced by Social Commerce.

The Impact of Hyperlocal News Delivery on Small Business

Collaborations between Artists and Marketers

In Praise of Slowness – Applications, Products, Merchandising

Home Furnishings and Lifestyle Products - Limited Editions

What We Do

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Business Agent:

We represent leading online brands, arts organizations and luxury marketers, with an emphasis on storytelling, strategic collaborations, and sales development. We have multi-disciplinary expertise, essential when launching a new business enterprise. We join your team, and work collaboratively to articulate your goals, formulate strategy, and can assemble the resources to provide follow-thru on the execution of your business plan.

Key Areas of Focus:

Brand Strategy and Positioning
Social Network Integration into Web Sites, Platforms, and Blogs
Social Media Campaigns
Business Planning
Market Research
Investor Presentations
Licensing and J.V. Strategic Partnerships

Vision 2011

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In 2010, Marketers increasingly made efforts to embrace social media and we anticipate that the demand for consultation and talent for digital strategy design will grow across industries. We intend to work selectively as strategic advisors complimented with our swat team of experts and a network of resources. We work with clients on their digital strategy first, then assist or supervise tactical execution for a measureable set of deliverables.

We work selectively and intimately with a diverse mix of companies in the retail, art, and lifestyle industries. We excel in assisting entrepreneurial professionals, artists, designers, and thought leaders, seeking to manage and expand their brand/image using social media tools.

Our goal is to apply strategic thinking to how you and your business is branded and positioned. We are collaborative, team-oriented, and have a strong network of resources and expertise.

The earlier we are involved in the process, the more impactful we can be.

About OSV

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The idea for Old School Ventures originated with the comfort associated with being “old school”.

Authentic
Honest
Back in the Day
Less Complicated
Legends and Stories
Design and Style

Today, more than ever, it's about storytelling. Social media tools, thoughtfully assembled, enable us to communicate a message and stay engaged with the marketplace and customers.

How We Work

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We work on assignment, on a project basis. Fees are established based on the scope of work, the expertise required, and the timeline for the deliverables.

Contact Us

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Executive Office
Lou Sagar
Old School Ventures
598 Broadway, Suite 12E
New York, New York 10012

T 917.743.3747

Click here to email us.