Trying to explain the thrill of creating a new technology, startup, user experience or integrated marketing tactic is hard to do with just words. But that excitement is ramped up tenfold when you're creating something that affects the real world. Such is the case with the new patent-pending technology that is being released by Starmark. This is the integrated advertising agency that I call home. Here I get to play with some of the most amazingly talented individuals that I've ever had the pleasure to battle for the best ideas. However, when we were challenged to construct the technology that would reward people in the real world, it was a new level.

If you're a digital integrated marketing professional who isn't thinking 50 percent mobile deployment, then you are already behind the curve. Anything less and you’re acting like that last printer in town who refuses to utilize InDesign because he’s absolutely certain Quark will finally version out a better product. I get it. There are only so many hours in the day. And thinking about or learning about ONE more thing means taking time away from the “important things.”

I joke about everything, having said that, I also want you guys to have as much 'actionable tactics' as I can muster. Therefore, here's the biggest brain-dump I could put together on the 'hot as a firecracker' social channel of Pinterest. So let's give birth to this thing and move along!

Something immediately pops into your mind when you hear the term “social media. But your definition might differ from that of your boss, or your neighbor, or Seth Godin. The fact is that social media is far more nuanced than most people realize. This topic is near and dear to my heart, and I’ve been preaching about it for the last year – "social business."

I just completed a great run of presentations over the past couple weeks. Each successive audience offered up a new challenge or dilemma I didn’t anticipate. I actully LOVE this! As a recovering co-dependent hell-bent on saving the world, I had to resist the urge to rewrite the deck after every event and subsequent comment.

A couple years ago I tried to explain why a client needed to understand that each social channel has its own communication style. All the client wanted to do was shoot out a message that said, "Go back to our website and buy shit!" Because, of course, social media would then become a river of gold.

So many people ask me, "Why does it seem like you know everyone?" Well, my friends, that's very much by design. It’s true that I love people and I love being social. But the new-world rolodex (my social graph) is becoming increasingly valuable to your employer and your clients. Case in point: The other day I was speaking with a friend in a rapidly growing social media tool (look for an interview with him in an upcoming post). He asked, as many do, "Hey, do you know someone who does …" – in this case it was WordPress plug-in development.

Obviously you should pay attention to the number of followers. But more importantly, you're looking for their "true reach." True reach is a metric for those who engage in two-way communication about a trend or an industry. Get a feel for the writer’s “voice.” See if you share the same mindset.

I still hear people say 'well I'm not sure if my social media efforts are creating enough traffic to my website.' To that, let me say this: Stop worrying about having every friend, fan and follower use your website as some epicenter of truth. This is ineffective thinking from today forward. Social media is not a direct connect to sales. It's not "buy now." It's "have you heard?" and the thing that people seem to forget is that while pushing product is fine, loyalty to that product/brand/service is going to maintain a long-term customer and make you more money over time.

Here's a deck I put together for a little Instagram show-and-tell at work: