Today I’m highlighting our ten most popular blog entries in 2010. Two takeaways from this list: (1) videos are viewed most, and (2) social media is a topic with a lot of interest. No surprises there, right? At any rate, we are going to work to bring you more video content in 2011 and more social media content too – we’re just shifting the focus from “getting started” to larger topics like measurement, ROI, and integration. Stay tuned!

Thank you all for viewing and reading! Have a happy and safe holiday season.

1. Chris Brogan Talks About Making Social Media Happen in Your Company

Our most popular post this year is the fourth in a short series we taped with Chris Brogan. Here Chris talks about who should own social media and how to integrate it into your marketing mix.

2. Chris Brogan Talks About the Value and Measurement of Social Media

The fifth video in our Chris Brogan series is our second most popular. Here Chris discusses social media measurement and setting objectives.

3. The bigger implications of asking, 'Who owns social media?'

Our third most popular post is also on the topic of social media and who should own it. This post discusses which organization should own the budget, the data, and the relationships.

4. The Nuts & Bolts of Social Media: Insights and Tips from Chico’s CIO

Next up is a video interview between SAS’ Deb Orton and Gary King, CIO of national clothing retailer Chico’s. Gary talks about the success of their four-hour Facebook pajama party and offers some practical social media tips.

5. Katie Paine and the SAS eMetrics Marketing Lab: the Impacts of Social Media on Your Business

This post is a summary of a presentation Katie Paine, of KDPaine & Partners, presented at eMetrics. This was a great presentation (watch the video below – it just happens to be our sixth most popular post).

The highlight is Katie’s battle-tested 7-steps to the perfect Social Media Measurement system:

1. Define the “R” – Define the expected results?
2. Define the “I” -- What’s the investment?
3. Understand your audiences and what motivates them
4. Define the metrics (what you want to become)
5. Determine what you are benchmarking against
6. Pick a tool and undertake research
7. Analyze results and glean insight, take action, measure again

6. Listening, Understanding and Predicting the Impacts of Social Media on Your Business (Video)

This was our first attempt at videotaping a third-party conference presentation, and we’ve decided to tape more sessions in 2011. Largely because you are watching them and the ‘conclusions paper’ we developed from this video is doing great as an ad fulfillment piece.

7. 9-Skills Every Marketing Manager Needs to Look For

‘Marketing’, as a concept and discipline, is evolving a new meaning—with new channels, new approaches, new drivers, and new expectations. This post presents a list of skills to help you hire, and get hired, in this environment.

My favorite? The soft skill of innovation and creativity “The term ‘creativity’ is no longer just for the agencies or the designers. Today’s channels and digital approaches enable and encourage creativity at all stages of marketing and the marketing process. Creativity is at the heart of innovation, which is not only required, its rewarded.”

8. Chris Brogan Discusses How Being a "Trust Agent" Applies to Corporate Marketers

Coming in at number 8 is the sixth and final segment in our Chris Brogan video series. Chris offers some great advice about showing prospects you care – event outside the sale.

9. Executives and Social Media: 3 reasons to encourage attention and 4 tips to get started

Don’t get left behind! That’s the core message of this post.

4 tips to get started:

1. Google your name. What appears? Is it what you had hoped for? This is your brand!
2. Create value by networking: LinkedIn profile and groups. Two really great sources are from Fortune and another is a blog by Jason Alba that refers to how Chris Brogan uses LinkedIn
3. Determine if Twitter is a good fit. I show people how I use TweetDeck as a content aggregator and search tool. Who I follow is becoming less important than the searches I monitor.
4. Teach people to listen before contributing to the discussion.

10. Social media success: it all starts with a plan

Rounding out our top-10 is a post about social media planning.

Top 5 social media planning tips:

1. Know your audience – It is not as simple as blindly blanketing the social media world with your message. Actively seek out your core audience and what tools they use, then provide useful, relevant information through those channels.
2. Know your resources – Find the champions within your organization who are the channels into the social media universe and utilize those people to support, enable, and create within those spaces.
3. Have clear, obtainable goals – set challenging but, reachable and measurable goals. How else will you know how far you have come and how far you can go?
4. Map out a content plan – Have a basic plan in place that schedules your content across your social media resources. Mind-mapping and editorial calendars are great tools to flesh out the many angles to approach your content, as well as, consolidate your resources
5. Measurement/Monitor – Analysis of your effort should always be part of your plan from the beginning. Keep in mind that the social media world is a two way street so, you should be just as focused on listening as you are on pushing your message. Additionally, you should have measurable parameters in place to gauge whether or not your campaign achieved its goals.

11.* Soccer, Samba, Supermodels and Statistics

This is a bonus, but I just have to mention my personal favorite post this year. I have huge respect for John Balla, the author. I mean, how many people can weave together The Girl from Ipanema, Pelé, 5 World Cup championships, Coffee, Sultry supermodels, and statistics into a single story?