Check out the Counting Crows (CC) Facebook strategy. CC fans want to know when their favorite band is touring. CC will only reveal that information when enough of their fans share their Facebook application. Fans who share with 10 or more friends are entered to win free tickets. Those who participate are signed up for updates from the band. The strategy is brilliant:

1) It’s simple. Anyone can understand it immediately.

2) It’s effective. Motivated fans want to know the information; they can participate quickly and easily for free.

3) It’s “viral.” Fans are provided an incentive for sharing.

I like that model, especially because the big prize – and the incentive for sharing – is access to information. The promotion serves as a good reminder that revealing information can have a greater impact than a traditional give away.

On November 16th at 7 p.m. we’re hosting the first social media book club. Space is limited. We currently have 6 registered, and we are looking for 12 more to join us. We’re meeting near our office in Kenmore Square in a beautiful conference room to discuss Brian Solis‘ “The End of Business as Usual.” Currently, we have a brand manager from P&G, a strategy consultant, two students from Harvard and BU, several members of the refine+focus team and a marketing practitioner joining us.

Everyone coming not only cares deeply about social media marketing and business strategy, they also are interested in developing personal and business relationships with other practitioners.

If you’re interested in joining us, leave a comment with your email, and why you are interested. We’ll meet for 2 hours and discuss the first 14 chapters (pages 1-169). We are especially interested in hearing your reactions to controversial ideas and your thoughts on applying Brian’s ideas to real business situations.

Many times this year, I’ve hosted events in the Oak Room at our office. We’ve hosted at least 5 roundtable discussions on social media strategy and 1 free workshop for Boston entrepreneurs to receive feedback from successful business owners and ambitious students. I love Boston and I am very committed to creating a space where social media, business practitioners and entrepreneurs can share ideas.

If you share this vision, I’d love to meet you sometime soon, better yet, join us on the 11/16.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

It’s so simple and so effective. Pose a simple question and ask people to vote. In this case, the more votes, the more tips. Whether it’s tips or attention, how could you apply this simple principle to your marketing efforts?

At the Cambridge River Festival, I met the owner of a local Indian restaurant who used every tactic imaginable to get our attention and earn our business. I liked his creativity, and his samosa’s were excellent too.

Note the QR codes…

I’ve learned to express myself in 140 characters or less. It’s not only how I write tweets, it’s also how I communicate in emails. Folks in my world want fast and simple communication. Analysis isn’t welcomed in these emails; long power point decks aren’t either. Actions and decisions are valued with short rationale.

What’s missing is time to reflect, and it’s evidenced in how we communicate. Writing an email we expect a response within 24 hours, same with a voicemail and a text message within two hours. We can cater our reply on how our audience responds to us.

Letters are different. You may not hear back from someone for days. You do not know whether they understoond your jokes or found your arguments persuasive. You imagine them in your head and write a letter to that person you imagine.

It’s day two of reading these love letters written in 1967, which I purchased at the flea market. We’re about 50 letters in and it’s clear than Johnny loves June. He writes her every week, often three times. June clearly doesn’t want to marry him, but he is not dissuaded. He goes on describing his world, which is really a device to bring her more deeply into it so he can ask the question again, like a song whose only merit is its catchy chorus.

If Johnny and June were Facebook friends, or even had email or Skype, this courtship would have ended within months not years. They would see each other’s lives openly and decide whether or not they were compatible. All the nuance of Johnny’s subtle asking and June’s not so subtle rejecting would have been lost as their relationship would have ended long before this courtship actually began.