This Guest Post is from Emma Siemasko, Content Marketing Specialist @Grasshopper.  You can follow Emma here on Twitter: @EmmaFayeS Marketing and PR are important for any business. After all, would you buy a product or service you knew nothing about? Probably not. But billboards, radio ads, and Google AdWords can chew up a balance sheet faster than a cheetah running towards an antelope. What if I told you that there are people out there willing and able to promote your business for free– people who love your brand and already tell family and friends about how happy they are with your offerings? Wouldn’t you want to leverage that free publicity? Um, yes. According to a study by Bazaarvoice, personal recommendations carry far more weight than advertisements. In fact, 84% of millennials (ages 18-33) report that user-generated content has “some” or “a lot” of influence on their purchasing decisions. It’s not just us young people, either. Seventy percent of baby boomers (a.k.a. my mom) reported the same thing. Advertising as a standalone medium just doesn’t cut it anymore. People are reading reviews, checking out social media pages, and taking recommendations from family and friends before buying. I read roughly 30 online reviews before deciding which shampoo to buy. This makes it all the more important to have a stable of real people who want to talk about your brand. Creating an online community of brand ambassadors is as simple as identifying those happy customers and letting them do you a big favor: promote your company to the world through social media posts, blogs, and reviews.

Who Are These People (And Where Do I Find Them?)

Your ideal brand ambassador is someone with enough clout to reach a large audience who also happens to be continually impressed with your offerings. Some qualities to look for: [Read more…]

30 Years ago, the TED Conference was started as a place to share ideas about Technology, Entertainment and Design. This year is a celebration for all of us. For introNetworks, it’s the 11th anniversary of the beginning of our company. We created a network for the attendees at TED2003 and from there grew our business around the world. To say we are grateful to TED is an understatement. Looking back, I would say that our ‘Idea Worth Spreading’ has been, ‘one connection can change your life’. We have spent the past 11 years honing in on how to make sure we (and you) are talking to the right people, working with the right person, selecting the right people for teams and groups. We understand that right is relevant to the task at hand. Today will be different than tomorrow in terms of what skills, or experiences you need to tap into. [Read more…]