by Ken Ishii
It’s hard to believe that we’re coming to the end of 2010. Where did all the time go? For all of us at FSB, much of the time was spent adapting to the rapidly developing digital age of business. It’s safe to assume that most of the other businesses out there were doing the same. For many of us, this year felt a lot like freshman year of high school. Greater responsibilities, large unexplored spaces, new relationships, awkward social procedures, unfamiliar jargon, and an intimidating tower of learning all weigh down on us. But we’ve gotta get through it for the sake of our future and besides, everyone else is doing it too. Well, like most things we fear, it’s not so bad once you’re over the hump and by now we’ve become pretty adept at circumnavigating the halls of social media high. What’s left now is to examine what went right and, more importantly, what mistakes were made up to this point so that we can move into the sophomore age of business on the web with a digital marketing plan for 2011 minus the rookie flubs gone by. Below you’ll find a few books authored by experts on cutting-edge business practices to help put you at the head of the digital class.
Fans of the reality TV show “The Apprentice” might recognize the co-author of this book, Randal Pinkett, as the first African American winner of the show. This book points out that life too is a game and one that has played out unfavorably for many African Americans. The 10 strategies for success outlined in Black Faces in White Places aims to break a vicious cycle by evening the corporate score.
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It’s been such a hectic year that we may not fully understand the repercussions of actions that were made hastily in an effort to keep up with developing marketing trends. Now, before the new year, is an opportune time to think about those decisions before outlining your digital marketing strategy for 2011. In fact, author Daniel Forrester insists upon it in his book Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking In Your Organization.
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Now that you have a plan outlined, it’s time to tweak it. That’s where The Network Is Your Customer by David L. Rogers fits in. The author examines how digital technologies are transforming the types of relationships we keep in business. With total global Internet connectivity on the horizon and smartphones in our pockets, the world we’re entering is one previously only imagined in the realm of science fiction.
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At this point you’ve established your target audience and snagged their attention through a clever network of channels and communities. To keep them interested, you need to bring something fresh to the table. Who better to take cue from than the head of one of today’s biggest and most revered companies, Apple? Author Carmine Gallo has laid out a simple step-by-step program surrounding seven principles that set Apple’s CEO apart from the pack in the highly anticipated book, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success.
You’ve examined your previous efforts, planned a strategy around future trends, and have a delivery that’ll knock their socks off. Now, Build A Great Business, that is, the book by authors/entrepreneurs Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy will give your business steadier footing in this shaky economy. The focus here is on the basics. Successful businesses, at any gigahertz, rely on solid time-tested strategies that have lifted industrialists like Tony Hsieh, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab to great heights.
Don’t compound the stress of the holidays with uncertainties about business in the new year. Prepare your digital marketing strategy now because if you thought this year was tough, wait until social media college.
By Fauzia Burke
