John Ryan

Social Media on Ulitzer I use all of these social media tools and although they haven't put me on my own island in the Caribbean yet, I'm very pleased with the combined results. 1. Twitter – It’s the fastest way to share that you have created something of value. As a bonus, Tweetdeck or CoTweet are good ways to manage your Twitter efforts and research. Huge audience with lots of active participants. There are a few shady characters on Twitter but just like being at Grand Central Station, you just step aside and keep moving. It doesn't mean you eschew the benefit. Micro-blogging is probably here to stay so it's a good idea to get up on good habits regardless of what future tools look like. 2. Linked In – It’s the professional network standard where people will find you. A terrific way to maintain knowledge of what former colleagues are doing now. You can also join gr... (more)

Ulitzer vs. Ning

My original post in late June was based on two weeks of using Ulitzer and Ning.  I've added additional thoughts after two months of use. The obvious point for me is that the sites have two different objectives for the writers.  For Ning, the writer is trying to be involved in a niche social network from scratch.  For example, I have built my own social network for marketers and salespeople called BuyerSteps.  I created BuyerSteps as a way for other professionals to join in a conversation around the 21st century buyer.  So, Ning represents a way to build a community. In the case o... (more)

Ulitzer vs. Ning - a Quick Review

Having used both sites for about two weeks, there is still a great deal I am learning to do with both Ulitzer and Ning, but a reader asked if I would do a quick comparison, so I will. The obvious point for me is that the sites have two different objectives for the writers.  For Ning, the writer is trying to be involved in a niche social network from scratch.  For example, I have built my own social network for marketers and salespeople called BuyerSteps.  I created BuyerSteps as a way for other professionals to join in a conversation around the 21st century buyer.  So, Ning repr... (more)

Gartner Sales Force Automation Ranking Is Out - The 2009 Report

The importance of automating the sales processes and capturing buyer data has perhaps never been more important.  Many organizations are finally waking up to the fact that having thousands of leads isn't as important as doing better with the leads you have.  From Gartner... What You Need to Know Despite slow sales due to the economy, organizations continue to invest in sales force automation (SFA). Gartner has not seen a drop-off in customer requests for help with vendor evaluations related to SFA. We have seen slightly more emphasis on software as a service (SaaS) due to tight ca... (more)

Research on Blogging Business Results from Hubspot

More proof that blogging is smart business.  Just make sure that whoever is blogging is a good writer and is committed to being consistent. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time.  You can either have your developers include a blog in your web experience or use free tools like Wordpress to link to your website. From Hubspot: If you blog, you know that it's good for your business. But how -- and how much? To answer to those questions, I looked at data from 1,531 HubSpot customers (mostly small- and medium-sized businesses). 795 of the businesses in my sample blogged, 736 didn't. ... (more)