Stop Thinking Leads & Lists. Start Thinking Networks

Posted by on Feb 17, 2012 in Blog, Fave Five Posts | 0 comments

Stop Thinking Leads & Lists. Start Thinking Networks

Save Some Time on Us

Some of the better reads we encountered this week. We’ve run a hi-liter through each post/article to emphasize what jumped out at us when reading them. We call these our Fave Five Posts.

In 2012 we will focus on: technology trends, community and network development, crowdsourcing & B2B marketing. If you have ideas on how we can provide more and better value to you in sharing these posts let us know below.

Our Favourite Posts for Week of Feb 13, 2012

A mixture of articles and posts caught our eye last week with the most interesting one being building the social enterprise. This inspired the headline for this fave five post! (See #5 below). Other favourites include how to connect with “movers and shakers”; easier ways to produce content and an update on the newest version of Nimble social CRM. Enjoy!

1) 5 Steps to Connecting with the Movers and Shakers on LinkedIn | Source: Social Media Today
Some good advice on how to approach people on Linkedin when asking to connect with them. Our advice when offering to connect people together is to ask them privately and individually so they can have control over whether they’d like to connect or not. Also, be careful regarding recommendations. In our view a recommendation is something you offer/ask of someone based on an extended engagement (project) and/or relationship.

2) Techonomy: Why Every Company is a Software Company| Source: PC Magazine
Many companies are developing software and “apps” that they use to run their products and deliver core services (planes, cars, distribution networks, financial transactions etc.). Software development methodologies and disciplines like lean, agile and minimum viable products can be applied outside of the technology department. In fact they should!

3) How to Double Your B2B Content Without Doubling Your Workload | Source: Content Marketing Institute
Good post by Rachel Foster providing advice on how companies can produce content without it becoming onerous and time consuming. The key is the editorial calendar, putting in place easy(ish) ways to schedule content development along with a publishing strategy.

4) Nimble 2.0 Builds On Social CRM Vision Part 1 / Part 2 | Source: Information Week
Product review of new release of Nimble 2.0 and an interview with founder Jon Ferrara about this social CRM tool developed from the ground up to help small to midsize businesses develop stronger relationships and social exchanges with customers and prospects.

Disclosure: Mi6 is a Nimble partner and using it since it was in private beta. If you are interested in learning how to use Nimble to socially engage and build your business network contact us. Register to try the Personal version here or the Business version here. Free free to read more about Nimble.

5) 3 Audiences You Can’t Ignore In Your Enterprise Social Strategy | Source: Business 2 Community
It’s time that B2B marketers look beyond lists and leads and start building their own strong professional networks and communities. It’s time for sales executives to realize that hiring a sales rep from a competitor for his/her book of business is not a sustainable growth strategy. Instead, the company must establish a strong network and community of stakeholders.

Chris Herbert is the founder of Mi6. Mi6 creates B2B social networks & communities that build reputations, generate results and make markets. He is the founder of ProductCamp Toronto and the Hi-tech community Silicon Halton. He tweets under the handle @B2Bspecialist.

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