Or there's that personal agenda, "But I need the money!" Help them identify a blogging team that alternates posts so there's no big load on any one person. Tags: My Own Personal Soapbox The topic of ghostblogging and Tweeting is popping up everywhere.    I even saw a Tweet last week touting that a VA (Virtual Assistant) can write your company's blog. can't believe we're even having this debate. Especially among those who claim to believe in integrity and honesty above all, who strive to create trusted relationships with our customers. MORE >>

have invited our Panel of B2B Marketing Experts to reflect on 2009 and answer the following question: What was your aha moment in 2009 ? B2B Lead Generation Benchmark Study 2009. We brainstorm together, share expertise and lessons learned, offer recommendations for new contacts, marketing and sales approaches, speaking and book writing, personal learning and more. We simply must take the first step - to connect on a personal, open and honest level. What was your "Aha" moment in 2009? Read on to get their insights. Blogs. via Beth Harte). MORE >>

In my last post, I hope I convinced you why you should establish a personal presence in social media even if your company hasn’t done so yet. In pursuing a personal presence in social media, I had it easier than you will. You may have to adopt a more split business personality (and do more work). But his personal presence in social media is based on sharing best practices in B2B and social media generally—there’s nary a mention of his company or his day job. Monitoring is the foundation of your personal presence. That was the why of social media. Monitor. MORE >>

5) Brand Promise/Reality Gap Reduction: The trend that social media kicked into high gear in 2009 will continue into 2010; any organization that has a significant gap between their brand promise, and their brand reality will have that gap mercilessly exposed through social media and community-created content. Social media sites that do this well will balance the need for public awareness of how influential a person is (how many inner circles, they are part of) without making it so public that it is widely manipulated or gamed (like Twitter follower counts, for example). Sort of. MORE >>

As we rapidly approach 2010, it’s hard not to consider the implications of social media’s banner year: 2009. While in some ways this may be true, I believe that the social web will in fact be more personal (and therefore more relevant ) rather than less social. Individuals are now taking on personal branding, and as every digital marketer knows - your customers are now their own publishers, and they have their own personal networks - and they are syndicated. Here is a quick snapshot of the trends: Social media begins to looks less social. Interactive MORE >>