Posts tagged ‘communication’

The art of Persuasion for fundraising entrepreneurs (or what you can learn from Aristotle and Steve Jobs)

June 22nd, 2011 by Greg Boutin
Detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sa...

Image via Wikipedia

As a budding entrepreneur, you might have the best concept in the world, but if you can’t communicate it effectively and persuade others to believe in you and in your project, you will fail regardless. On the other hand, mastering Persuasion could make you the next Steve Jobs (who hasn’t heard of his “reality distortion” field?)

That is especially true in the context of fundraising. Unless you have a history of building successful startups (and even then), potential investors, clients and collaborators will judge you based in large part on the credibility and rigor of your business case. (more…)

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Social media as a marketing tool… among others

February 4th, 2010 by Greg Boutin
social wordle

Image by smemon87 via Flickr

A connection of mine just directed me, by good ol’ email, to a new book on social media. My friend knows I am thinking about the topic these days. This yet-to-be-released book puts marketing and social media in opposition, asserting that businesses must stop marketing and start engaging. The author positions himself as the “world’s authority on the topic”.

Yawn.

Social media is here to stay, no question. I use it every day, and it does occasionally help shape my impression on brands. But let’s curb the enthusiasm and keep our feet on the ground, as its impact is blown largely out of proportion:

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