According to Steve Jobs, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, karma, whatever. Just follow your passion and stay hungry, stay foolish.

Hitting the reset button on marketing communications begins by accepting a new perspective on what marketing communications needs to accomplish. Switching a company’s perspective from that of a traditional advertiser to that of a tightly disciplined, personalized publisher can help a company join the online conversation. The company’s Web site can generate dramatically more sales leads than it ever has before by offering more-timely, personalized, and useful content.

The Lakers have their legacy – another NBA Championship. What will be your legacy? Are you willing to figure out what it is going to take for you to accomplish your goals? Are you willing to miss some shots and take some risks to find success? For me, I found my niche in life and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be successful and to make my clients successful. I have passion, commitment and loyalty to my family, my friends, myself and to my clients. I may get knocked down from time to time, but I will never, never give up.

Maples Communications is launching a “Flat-Rate” PR and social media program to help companies build brand visibility, attract new customers and boost their businesses. The program is about using the power of the Internet to lead customers through the buying process.

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.

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.

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.

Companies are still finding many reasons for not engaging in social media or taking it seriously. For those firms, I have one word: TwitStorm.