“It’s easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out of date.” — Roger von Oech

I am tired of hearing the words B2B and B2C!  I don’t understand why people continue to break engagement into categories.

I was in a meeting with a potential client last week and this discussion came up since their company is focused on effecting businesses and not consumers (B2B).  I decided to bring up the discussion of how I believe B2B & B2C = BS and he immediately says “I don’t agree.”  I then proceeded to explain myself and by the end of that part of our conversation he was shaking his head in agreement.

Here is why I believe B2B & B2C = BS…

In every sales transaction there are two people that are needed to make that transaction happen.  A marketing plan is not designed to move a physical building is it?  NO!  You are developing a strategy to move an individual or individuals within a business to purchase a product or service from you.

In the new communication world we are living in it all comes down to engagement.  People engaging with people!  That is the point of social media.  To be social.  Think beyond a company logo and focus on your target consumer…that’s the secret when it comes to building out your Marketing/Communication strategy.

Jeff Mello

Founder, Evolution of Communication

I would like to introduce the newest members of Evolution of Communication…

Aaron Becker, Senior Developer

Over the past 10 years, Aaron has developed a vast array of development skills.  He has experience in both graphic design as well as software and web development.  He has worked on everything from logo design, web page development, to complex software development.  Aaron has worked with numerous design firms, and has worked as a freelance software and web developer for many years.

Carson Cutrone, Business Development

Carson’s background is call centers.  Through his call center experience he  learned the fundamentals of customer service. He handled calls for Duke Energy and Qwest and worked his way up to handling escalation calls.  Carson eventually rose to the ranks of supervisor in a very short amount of time. He previously worked for Allconnect which was awarded top 100 fastest growing incorporations in Atlanta. Carson had the highest sales ever for AT&T Uverse and achieved the highest ranked sales calls after only working with Allconnect for four months.

Kristen Felix, Senior Business Development Manager

Kristen Felix brings over 10 years of experience in the areas of marketing and communications, sales management, and business development strategy. She also has a proven track record of success as a publishing entrepreneur. Most recently, she was the co-publisher of two healthcare trade publications in Atlanta and Chicago, where she increased annual subscriptions by 75% in just four years. Additionally, she increased ad sales nearly 50% every year through traditional direct marketing services and other lead-generating avenues.

Immediately prior to launching these newspapers, Kristen worked at an ad agency and several hospitality organizations where she honed her account management, customer service, and marketing skills. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications and a minor in Business from Elon University in North Carolina. She currently resides in Atlanta, GA, with her two children.

If you are tired of Corporate America, like to “Work Hard Play Hard”, and are looking to join a growing company then please send me an email jeffmello@evolutionofcommunication.com with either your resume or LinkedIn.

Jeff Mello

Founder, Evolution of Communication

This past Friday I was invited as a guest of “The Business Hour” with Ron Comacho to discuss Digital Marketing and what Evolution of Communication offers clients.  The following are segments from the radio show.

Segment 1:

In this segment we discuss Website Development, Search Engine Marketing, and other various Digital Marketing topics.

Segment 2:

In this segment we discuss Pay Per Click, Social Media, ROI Models, and other Digital Marketing Topics.

Segment 3:

In this segment we race to cover all the rest of what Evolution of Communication offers our clients along with my background.

I hope you enjoy this candid look at how I view the new approach for companies to reach consumers.  I do talk a lot, I drink a lot of water, and I know you all will be surprised to see my iPhone often in my hand.

Jeff Mello

Founder, Evolution of Communication

Every company that decides to get involved in social media asks the same questions…what does success look like and how can I measure it?  The Social Media ROI Model attempts to create a measuring system designed to capture the cause and affect of all the hard work that goes into executing a social media strategy.

One of the main points I wanted to drive home in this presentation is the concept of “Engagement Value“. Companies sometimes spend a majority of time focused on attracting new customers when really they should be focused on taking all the steps necessary to retain their existing customers. Done right social media can be an amazing communication tool to strengthen your company’s relationships with existing customers.

“Engagement Value” as presented here is a way to place a monetary value on customer engagement through social media.

This model serves as a starting point and will continue to adapt to the changing communication landscape around us.

Lastly…not every company will utilize every piece of this Social Media ROI Model.  A small business does not have multiple departments to track BUT they can take the basic premise to measure if what they are doing in social media is helping them achieve their business goals.

Category: Entry Level Sales

Location: Atlanta

Description:

Business Development

Evolution of Communication (www.evolutionofcommunication.com) is in search of a talented candidate with excellent people and communication skills to assist in our growth. The Candidate will focus on driving new business for Evolution of Communication.

About Evolution of Communication

Evolution of Communication is an interactive agency based in Atlanta that uses the combined power of digital and traditional marketing to listen, learn, and engage with consumers across the vast spectrum of communication channels.

Qualifications:

• 4-year college degree
• Individuals must be hard working, motivated and willing to learn
• Must have excellent communication skills, be goal-oriented and ambitious
• The ability to forge long-term, trusting relationships and develop business accordingly
• Excellent writing, presentation and organizational skills, able to juggle multiple tasks and priorities

If you feel you are a fit and would like to submit your resume, please email to jeffmello@evolutionofcommunication.com with “Business Development” as the subject line of your email.

Evolution of Communication is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by Federal or State law or local ordinance.

When developing a social media strategy for clients we do an in-depth analysis of their business and their customers. Understanding both the demographic and more importantly psychographic information of their customers will form the initial building blocks of our recommended social media strategy.

Many small businesses are wrestling with how to effectively maximize the social web to reach their customers with limited time and financial resources. As I mentioned in my previous blog post “Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin” businesses should not try and use every social media communication channel available since they just will not have enough time to do them all successfully. Instead they need to understand where the greatest concentration of their current or potential customers gather in the social web and reach out to them there.

Which leads me to discuss Facebook as a part of a social media strategy. While some say Facebook is not a necessary cornerstone to a social media strategy I would argue it is tough to ignore.

In a recent eMarketer article they referenced a stat from comScore showing the correlation between heavy use on Facebook and heavy spending online.

Facebook currently has over 400 million active users worldwide AND 20 million people “Like” Pages each day. Heavy Facebook users are spending a lot of money online so therefore makes sense to be a cornerstone of your social media strategy.

While Facebook may not always be the immediate solution for your company’s social media strategy to ignore it’s power to grow your customer base is not recommended.

Evolution of Communication has been named the interactive agency of record for Atlanta Spine Doctors in Atlanta.

Owner Dr. Sean Zarzana stated, “As we expand beyond Atlanta we need an agency to help us reach our customers not just through traditional advertising but also with new methods like social media marketing and search engine marketing.”

Full press release is available here.

Our client Atlanta Spine Doctors is looking to hire a new chiropractor in their Alpharetta office.  If you are interested please send an email with your resume attached to jeffmello@evolutionofcommunication.com .

For those of you who are not familiar with Twitter…Follow Friday is a way to give a shout out on Twitter to the people who add value to you. The following is the EOC Top 15 list for the week of 5/14/10 since we can’t include everyone.

Onto the List…

@bizchickblogs This gal is super talented!  She is a talented writer, coder, and a great resource to bounce around ideas.  I am lucky to call her a friend!

@evolutionfiles He is a great guy, knowledgeable, and has a GREAT biz name.

@iowahawkeyemeg She is a writer, a future grad, an adventurer, has an amazing personality, and can talk as much as me.

@rockingjude Her name says it all!  SHE ROCKS!

@shandrab @zoeyjordan Two of my favorite woman on Twitter.  They are super smart, funny, talented, and supportive!

@debce Deb is the extremely talented CEO of Computer Explorers.  She is insightful, helpful and I can’t wait to see her IRL again!

@nancymyrland One of the nicest people you will ever encounter on Twitter.  She is always willing to help and provides great information especially when it relates to social media and lawyers.

@joe_charles One of the few Yankee Fans I like.  About leadership building and success!

@OSUsquire Smart social media strategist working at the Ohio State Medical Center. He became a friend at SXSW and just an all around GREAT GUY!  I think he is a BIG Michigan fan too! HA!

@tedrubin Another Yankee Fan I like!  He is moving the ball forward with his work on the #opensky project.

@jowyang I don’t get all worked about social media celebs but I do enjoy connecting with people who are making a difference in social media.  Jeremiah is one of those people.  He is extremely bright and has tremendous vision on where communication is headed.  If you want to be an informed strategist then you really need to follow him.

@briansolis Here is another example like Jeremiah.  Will Brian follow you back?  Probably not but his vision and knowledge of communication makes him a must follow!  Brian is no joke!  He knows his stuff and openly shares it with all of us.

@equalman Erik is the man behind the awesome Socialnomics video and does an excellent job pushing social media forward in terms of stats and the rationale of why companies need to use social media.

@jheineck She is a ROCKSTAR!

There you have it…this week’s EOC Top 15!

Have you heard people banter around this question before, “Who owns social media?”  I have and believe right from the start this question is flawed.  @Frank_Strong did a nice job of building out the case for or against this argument here.

Why is the argument flawed from the start?  How can you own social media?  The owners of social media are the consumers…the people who contribute content everyday in social media.  Take it one step further…who owns Radio, TV, Newspapers, Magazines, or Billboards besides the companies themselves?

I believe the question should be, “Who is the best positioned to leverage social media for companies?”  My answer is everything should start with the PR Department.  Find out the rest of my thoughts in the video above…