Read up on Social Networks: Integrating Competitive Intelligence into Marketing: Part 3

In the cooperative spirit, today’s post provides books and blogs to help you spruce up your social networking skills, the key on-line communication and connection media. A targeted social networking strategy is a strong and essential ingredient to any research project!
In addition to this book list I suggest you follow blogs to stay up on the latest. All these authors have blogs. In addition I recommend Chris Brogan’s, Hubspot and Duct Tape Marketing. You have one last chance to attend this AMA workshop in Chicago on March 12. http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/2009IntegratedCompetitiveIntelligence-Chicago,IL.aspx

Trick or Tweet: 14 Ways to Alienate Twitter Followers

In the spirit of cooperative intelligence, I will illustrate how to be cooperative by sharing examples of bad Twitter communication practices. Remember it takes time to build a successful social networking presence just like it does the old fashioned way through meetings and phone calls. Relationships take time to develop, and the best way to nourish them is through continual, consistent communication, asking questions and listening.

Reach out to people for the best & most real-time intelligence

Many are too focused on what they can find from “big data,” the Internet and social media–which anyone can have access to who has time and money. If you want to learn what’s really happening, you need to talk to human beings on a regular basis, not just for competitive intelligence, but for anything in life that you care about.

Markham Nolan: How to separate fact and fiction online | Video on TED.com

By the end of Markham Nolan’s TED talk, there will be 864 more hours of video on YouTube and 2.5 million more photos on Facebook and Instagram. So how do we sort through the deluge? Ellen Naylor‘s insight: Great talk by world class journalist, Markham Nolan, based in Dublin. Here are some of the nuggets: …

Read moreMarkham Nolan: How to separate fact and fiction online | Video on TED.com

The Enduring Importance of Communication & Curiosity

Short, shallow, frequent bursts of communication via Twitter, Facebook or texting do not develop deep and emotional relationships, whether among friends, parent to child or between business colleagues. I fear that people are losing their ability to hold a conversation in our infected society of social networks, which favors many forms of digital connection with numerous people who are practically strangers, rather than really getting to know fewer people a whole lot better.

Cooperative Communication: Digital versus Voice

A recent HBR blog post, “Just Call Someone Already,” focused on when to use the phone versus email, often used instead of the phone. I resonated with the author, Dan Pallota in his comment, “Much worse than the inefficiency of using email to set up phone calls are the missed opportunities and unnecessary misunderstandings that come when we use email instead of phone calls.” A best cooperative intelligence practice is to think about how the individual you want to reach likes to be communicated with, even if it’s not your preference. Another cooperative best practice is only send communication to those who will value it.

Independence or Not?

How many times have you heard people say, “I am too busy. I am soooo busy.” Are most of us really busier than we used to be? Or are we imposing busyness by all the distractions of everyday 21st century life? Do people really need to know what you’re doing all the time and where you ate and what airline you’re flying? Knowing when to connect on social media is a competitive advantage for individuals and for companies. Knowing when not to connect gives you more independence.

Personality Profiling: Gauge Your Competitor’s Management Team

Another great analytical tool is personality profiling. Most often companies study their competitor’s management team or key employees such as the head of R&D. Usually their strengths and weaknesses follow them from job to job. It’s good to understand their predisposition; what mistakes they have made in the past; and what blind spots they might have. Don’t just focus on their professional experience as their personal life is just as important, and often highly influences their professional decision-making.

18 Tips to Improve Your Telephone Collection Skills

Whether it’s for research, cold calling to collect information, competitive intelligence or win loss analysis, when you instigate a telephone call you are in the sales mode. You want information. This blog lists 18 tippers to improve your telephone collection skills.

Strategies, Techniques & Sources to Find Local Business Information

Here are a few takeaways from today’s AIIP webinar, “Going Local: Techniques & Strategies for Finding
Local Business Information,” presented by Marcy Phelps, CEO of Phelps Research and author of recently published “Research on Main Street.” This includes many valuable links to sources for local US sources, and how to buy “Research on Main Street.” If you’re an Independent running a research, private eye, library or competitive intelligence practice, AIIP is the place to get invaluable advice and resources to help you start and run your business successfully!