Margie Clayman

Twenty Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

The next few posts in the engagement series are going to be lessons we can learn from the book Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. If you’re not familiar with the book, the general gist is that it details how Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in 1860 and how he ended up with a cabinet filled with people he had run against in that presidential election.

The book offers a lot of insights on how to lead in ways ideal for engaging – whether online or offline. There are key insights in what made Lincoln the kind of leader he became and what made the men in his cabinet, who began by thinking he was inept, come around and truly respect and adore him.

This first post is going to outline some of the things that Goodwin points out about Lincoln that I think could be valuable to you. I hope you find it to be so. With that, here are 20 leadership lessons you can learn from Abraham Lincoln.

But what do you love about Social Media?

by Margie Clayman

You know those commercials for V8 where a person gets bopped on the head because they’re not eating their vegetables? Well, I had a V8 kind of moment today. It had nothing to do with vegetables. Rather, it had to do with Social Media. I guess you were probably thinking that would be the case since I’m posting here.

Anyway…

I realized that for all of the time I spend on Social Media sites, for all of the time I spend talking to people, writing posts, and doing the stuff that I do, I never really think about why I LIKE doing all of this. Because I really do love the whole world of Social Media, you know. And I’ll bet you do too. But we never talk about that. We take it for granted.

Well, I decided I should maybe add a dash of positivity to the Karmic wheel and talk about why I love being in this space.

Why I highly recommend joining Kitchen Table Companies

by Margie Clayman

A week ago today, I finally decided that I would sign up for Kitchen Table Companies, a site created by Human Business Works, Chris Brogan, and Joe Sorge. I had been going back and forth about this for awhile. Although I am familiar with the day-to-day existence of a small business, I don’t own one. I’m not an entrepreneur. So really, what use could this site have for me?

A week later, having had a tremendously fun time over the last 7 days, I am writing to suggest that you join the conversation at Kitchen Table Companies, and I am writing as an affiliate of the site.

Now, for those of you who have known me for awhile, affiliate marketing is something I usually shy away from. I have only agreed to be an affiliate for 4 things – an e-book by Mark Dykeman, an e-book by Tommy Walker, The Hip Roof Real Estate Forum, and now Kitchen Table Companies. I don’t like you to think that my opinion is being purchased. It is not, in this case. Rather, I feel so strongly that this is a great thing growing that I want to somehow give you a stamp of approval to see. Being an affiliate is what I came up with.

Five ways to create a more engaging direct mail campaign

by Margie Clayman

If there is one traditional marketing tactic that gets close to as much flack as advertising, it has to be direct mail. You’ve probably heard it all before. “Direct mail is like throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks.” “Direct mail is a close cousin of cold calling.” “Direct mail is so…indirect.”

Like King Kong, I think direct mail as a marketing tactic is just misunderstood. There are just as many ways now as there were 50 years ago to use direct mail effectively and in an engaging style. Probably more. Like with everything, we just need to think in some different ways. Here are some ideas about how to make direct mail a more effective, more engaging marketing tool for your business.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media

by Margie Clayman

Awhile back, Copyblogger wrote a post called the 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging. I have been thinking about that post lately. I can’t tell if it’s because all of this talk about the world ending is getting to me or if it’s because I am seeing behavior online that is kind of making me feel the opposite of rapture. In either case, as it turns out, most of the behaviors driving me nuts in the world of Social Media can be tied quite tidily to one of the 7 Deadly Sins. Let’s explore, shall we?

Trade Shows and Conferences: What’s Engagement Got To Do With It?

by Margie Clayman

I’m pretty sure that’s how that song by Tina Turner goes, right?

Hmm, anyway…moving on 🙂

Around the time when SXSW was going on, you could generally find three kinds of statements.

1. OMG I’m so excited!!!!

2. I’m not going to SXSW. I’m going to be making money.

3. I wish I was at SXSW or barring that, I wish I didn’t have to see all of the tweets about it.

It was at this point that I really “got” what a huge difference there is between my everyday, work-a-day world and the world of Social Media.

See, in the B2B world, there are tons of trade shows, conferences, and educational events, but they are not really about getting seen with the right people or getting too drunk to remember where you are. The point of these conferences is actually to find prospects, meet with customers, maybe meet with your sales team, and have a little fun in between. Now, the problem is that the B2B world could probably use a dash of Social Media style engagement, and Social Media could probably use a dash of B2B philosophy at Social Media events. In all cases, having creative ways to engage with people is essential.

Margie Clayman

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