Highway to Hale

What time is it!? #followfriday time! This past week, two people caught my attention as the people you need to follow on Twitter if you want to realize the complexities of social media. It seems like people have been trying to simplify social media for awhile now, but these two fellas tell it like it is – social media is part of a complex set of marketing skills.

My first recommendation is somebody that has a handle that explains it all – @unmarketing (Scott Stratten). Since the Un-Marketing Blog does such a great job of explaining what Scott considers “un-marketing”, I’ll just copy and paste it here:

“It’s all about positioning yourself as a trusted expert in front of target market, so when they have the need, they choose you. That’s UN-Marketing.” – Scott Stratten

I happen to agree with this method pretty heavily and Scott has another project that I support – Thank Goodness It’s Monday. The basic idea is that nobody should let something as trivial as the day of the week determine their attitude. Wonderful. On Twitter, Scott is always passing along helpful advice about tweeting and he is another one of my favorite no-BS tweeters. Scott enjoys interacting with his followers and truly wants to help others…plus he has a great name.

My second recommendation is, without a doubt, one of the smartest people I follow on Twitter. The writing at his blog, the links he shares, and the information he pushes make for a pretty unbeatable combination of intelligence sharing. When @leeodden passes on content, it’s always worth listening to. Lee is the CEO at Top Rank Online Marketing and does a great job of relating SEO and social media. At a time when many people are putting the two in opposite corners, Lee is explaining how they can be related most effectively and putting them both in their respective place without having to emphasize one at the cost of the other (also without annoying everybody in the process). Lee has a strong affinity for objective data and ideas that continue to stay ahead of the game.

These guys are the top in my book of putting the intricacies of social media into perspective. Now, go follow them and learn for yourself, and enjoy the weekend.