Maples Communications and strategic partner Citizen7 Studios have been selected by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce to develop the “Digital Irvine” program which will be designed to attract digital media businesses and build upon Irvine’s reputation as a top destination for the digital media industry.

Every company, every marketer often dwells on the ROI for social media, and there’s a popular misconception that relevant metrics are lacking. While it’s true that standard metrics are evolving, there are many ways to measure the impact of social media on a company’s marketing performance.

The idea of a company starting its own blog is not new-in fact it is almost old-fashioned in comparison to some of the new social media tools and platforms available today-but it is still a core part of any communications plan.

Walking into a ballgame, you are likely to hear someone shouting, “Program! Get your program! Can’t tell the players without a program!” I can’t think of a better analogy for developing a “best practices” social media program: its all about nailing down – in writing – who you need to connect with online, what you are trying to achieve with them, and knowing what to measure so that you will know if you have achieved your goals.

When looking at the value of social media tools like Twitter, we need to realize the real value isn’t the tool itself; it is the information the tool has to offer.

Many marketers stepping up to embrace social media are bringing their old “push strategy” skills to a new “customer pull” reality, making a critical miscalculation. The social media phenomenon is not just a new set of communications vehicles for your company to broadcast its value proposition and messaging to a target market. It is about customers wanting and needing relevant information to make better decisions and to share with others. Over the years they have become jaded by the packaging and spin that typifies most marketing and advertising campaigns.

More than eight out of 10 North American and European enterprise IT decision makers said word-of-mouth recommendations or testimonials are the most important sources when making buying decisions. Obtaining these recommendations and testimonials becomes easier when B2B social media practices are put into place—turning your customers into brand advocates.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Howard Schmidt on his appointment as White House Cybersecurity Coordinator today, the nation’s top cybersecurity post.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Maples Communications has worked with Howard for several years in his capacity as both a board member and spokesperson for our client (ISC)2.

Step one: Before you start, establish clear business objectives and metrics.

What surprises me is how many blogs and podcasts or even Facebook groups and Twitter sites are started as an executive pet project. That may relieve some pressure to demonstrate ROI, but as a marketer responsible for social media initiatives, you should never move off the starting mark without clear and measureable business goals.

For Maples Communications, it is an honor to be called a wingman. We want to “check your six”-the six o’clock position where the jet is most vulnerable, the pilot’s blind spot.