#SF Social Media Visitors Guide

The social media savvy way to travel, connect, and save in San Francisco!
I wanted to get as much leisure and sight seeing in as possible on my recent work related trip to San Francisco, CA. Once my hotel was booked, I took to the web and Tweets to plan and navigate my way around the city's famous attractions.

First, I started with the hotel's website for a list of all the complementary perks (there were quite a few! My favs: complementary bicycles, daily complimentary happy hours, and a companion goldfish for my stay). I connected Hotel Palomar SF on Twitter.  They were very welcoming and social, tweeting with me during my stay.

I also checked out a travel blogger's review via a RT find from Kimpton San Francisco's Twitter account. This gave me a real perspective of what the hotel is like as well as a few tips that were handy in my stay.

Marketers: Get Your Head Out of the Sand and Into the Digital Age!

Throughout this Summer, I have been networking and interviewing with several Nashville-based companies only to find that I seem to be “on another level” than the typical corporate marketer in my approach to an integrated marketing strategy that uses technological trends to deliver relevant content to customers.

Forgive me while I step onto my soapbox and shout for a second:

If you are a “Marketing Director” or “Marketing Manager” in today’s technology, consumer-driven marketplace, it’s your freakin’ job to understand how digital and social media marketing fit into the landscape of who you are marketing to and how your marketing messages are being communicated.  It’s just another part of the marketing mix.

Guest Blogging: A Win, Win, Win!

Guest blogging is simply writing an article that fits with a blog's core topic, yet provides a slightly different perspective from the usual author. This gives audiences exposure to new people, thoughts, and is great for maximizing a blog's exposure to new audiences....not to mention a chance to expand ones' personal brand if you are the guest blogger!

This week, I'm guest blogging for my friend, John W. Ellis over at Crescent Interactive!

Check out my "Winning Google+ Hangout Strategies" article on John's Blog to learn how Google+'s Hangouts and Hangouts On Air can help your brand.


GUESTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! 
Interested in guest blogging for me or having me guest blog for you? 
I'm happy to entertain the idea....just Tweet me a message at @crossga and let's connect.

Connecting the Dots for "Social Business" Growth

Communications + Integrated Strategy + Technology / Measurements = Growth

 I see the need, I envision the potential, and I'm seeking an opportunity to make a difference. I've done my research through my journey over the past several weeks of networking with marketing consultants, meeting with corporate executives, and interviewing for a variety of marketing/ communications positions. The conclusion I've come to is that technology, brand strategy, and internal corporate communications need to be aligned within an organization.

Companies that take advantage of emerging technology to connect the dots with streamlined communication within their departmental silos, incorporate an integrated (mix of traditional, digital, and social media marketing) brand strategy, and analyze digital and social media metrics will be light years ahead of their industry competitors.

Memorial Day LUV: Get Social with U.S. Army and National Guard!

 In honor of Memorial Day, I'm highlighting of some social media sites that show the lifestyles of U.S. Army and National Guard troops in today's social world.

The U.S. Army is invading Pinterest!

LOVE THIS PIN! Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/157837161910914462/

According to a recent article from The Atlantic Wire, the U.S. Army seeks to reach a broader audience via Pinterest. Below is a quote from the article explaining the intent:

"We saw that would be a way that we could potentially reach an audience that we don't normally reach with our other platforms," Major Juanita Chang, Director of Online and Social Media for the U.S. Army told The Atlantic Wire. "We know pinterest is highly dominated by women... A lot of people that follow the military are men because that's the majority of the military. We want to connect and reach out to the female population and maybe the Army spouses and family members -- the people who wouldn't have any other reason to follow the military otherwise."

I'm honored to live in a country where our military leaders not only serve and protect our country, but have a pretty awesome social media strategy.