Cheryl Burgess

Co-founder, Managing Partner, Blue Focus Marketing

Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) is a digital and social brand consultant, blogger and speaker. Her knowledge of business strategy, passion for creative expression and marketing technology help businesses achieve the remarkable.

Burgess understands that brands face seismic challenges today, including a struggling economy and continually evolving social media technologies. Social media tools are revolutionizing marketing, ecosystems of real people are rewiring and reorienting the Internet, and competitive brands are scrambling to engage. In short, change is everywhere.

Cheryl Burgess is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blue Focus Marketing, a social branding consultancy. She has expertise in B2B marketing, social media, business continuity and crisis management. Burgess is also the four time winner (2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010) Twitter Shorty Award in Marketing (The New York Times hails this as the “Oscar of Twitter”), and has been featured and quoted in an article by Wendy Marx for Fast Company (“PR Gurus’ Top Tips For Pitching And Storytelling In The Digital World”). Huffington Post has featured Burgess in the “Top 100 Business, Leadership and Technology Twitter Accounts You Must Follow”. She is an active member of the Wharton Advertising 2020 Contributor Community, and was awarded Wharton Future of Advertising’s MVP. Burgess was also honored as one of 42 global social media women labeled as a “Passionista” by Huffington Post for her business expertise and timeless blogs.

Burgess also serves on the Advisory Board of B2BTOTY, a B2B Award for the most engaging companies on Twitter and on the Advisory Board for Business 2 Community.

As co-author of Ad Agencies Winning New Business 360—which has sold in 25 + countries worldwide—Cheryl Burgess has experience developing business continuity and crisis management plans for large organizations, including hospitals and pharmaceuticals. Burgess also recently spoke at Morgan Stanley on the perils of social media during a crisis. A prolific blogger, Burgess posts regularly at Blue Focus Marketing Blog, and is a syndicated blogger for B2Community, B2B Marketing Zone and a contributing blogger for Crowdshifter.com and 12most.com. She is the co-founder of #Nifty50 Top Twitter Women and #Nifty50 Top Twitter Men. Burgess holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Pittsburgh.

More of Cheryl Burgess’ recognitions can be found at:

Best Social Media Marketing Blog

95 People to Follow On Twitter 2013

20 B2B Marketing Blogs You Need to Read

Social Media Marketing Magazine Top CMOs

100 Must Follow Marketers on Twitter

Top 75 Women on Twitter

200 Most Fearless Women Online & In Social Media

The 40 Most Approachable Social Media A-listers on Twitter

The Top 35 “Connectors” on Twitter

12 Most Leaderific Women in Social Media

Margie Clayman’s 50 Favorite Blog Sites

The Most Remarkable People on Social Media Today

May 2012 Top 100 Branding Experts to Follow on Twitter

SocialSong Saturday No. 8 – Who to Follow on Twitter for Business

Special +Klout Recognition:

Joe Fernandez, CEO & Co-Founder of Klout, @joefernandez gave Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) a +K on “marketing” @klout June 23, 2011

Cheryl Burgess

My full bio

Does Your Business Need A Social Media Intern?

June 4, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

If you’re a TV watcher, chances are you’ve seen Jack in the Box’s most recent commercial, which playfully pokes fun at social media interns. In the clip, a young, bubbly young intern is clearly excited to be a part of the Jack in the Box...

5 Tips On Finding Your Next Customer

April 30, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

According to a May 2012 survey by Constant Contact, over three-quarters of small businesses agree on their primary goal: attracting new customers. Unfortunately, a more troubling statistic shows that many small business owners are missing out...

Why People Love Social Brands

April 2, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

One of the fascinating things about social branding is that it doesn’t matter what size business you are or what your marketing budget is. What really matters is why people would want to purchase your brand. If you start with the why, the personality you will create for your business will help build...

Secrets To Social Branding Success For Small Businesses

March 5, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

Welcome to the social media conversation of 2013, where business and marketing communities have accepted the why of social media, and now they have begun asking the how. Everywhere we look, small businesses are ready to go social, but many of them are wondering where to begin. With so many social media options...

Say “Cheese” With Social

February 26, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

Small businesses are realizing that social media is here to stay, and they are taking notice because becoming a social brand can help drive revenue. Traditionally, small business have used outbound advertising platforms like direct mail, cable television, newspapers or yellow pages, but today outbound marketing strategies have largely been replaced by inbound strategies. Integrating social...

Need To Be Convinced That Social Media Networking Is Serious Business?

February 5, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

Now that the New Year is underway, the question I keep hearing on everyone’s lips is, “What’s the best advice for small businesses to increase their social media networking?” Fortunately, I have the privilege of being a part of a vibrant community of networking experts who were more than willing to share their wisdom and advice for...

14 Experts’ New Year’s Resolutions For Optimizing Social Media

January 8, 2013
Cheryl Burgess

If anyone still doubts that social media isn’t going to play a dominant role in small business in 2013, perhaps these New Year’s resolutions from industry experts will change their minds. A few things remain certain in the coming year: Marketing budgets will keep shrinking, and competition will stay fierce. Small businesses better strap on their seat belts, because 2013 is sure to start off with wild twists and turns, producing the...

14 Social Media Predictions for Small Business in 2013

14 Experts Predict 2013 Social Media Trends for Small Business

December 18, 2012
Cheryl Burgess

When I started this post, I wanted to share 13 Social Media Predictions for Small Business in 2013. However, for those of you who might be superstitious, I didn’t want to jinx the New Year before it even began. So, I decided to go with 14 predictions instead. No need to worry about doomsday prophecies from the Mayans or Nostradamus. The experts I consulted see only a bright future ahead for small businesses....

5 Top 2013 Trends for Small Business Social Media Engagement Using Content Marketing

Five Top 2013 Trends for Small Business Social Media Engagement Using Content Marketing

November 14, 2012
Cheryl Burgess

With 2013 right around the corner, it’s time to start looking at the social media marketing trends likely to take center stage in the coming year. As predicted by marketing experts in early 2012, powerful trends such as content marketing are already reorienting and rewiring the business world in this digital bazaar....