TalkingwithTom was first inspired last fall when Converse Digital founder Tom Martin watched Steve Jobs introduce the iphone4 with video. “Why can’t you do an entire blog based on video?” he wondered.

In conversation with his clients about using video in content marketing, they frequently worried about price and a lack of ROI. He set out to prove them wrong. The idea? Every week Tom asks an industry leader about the future of social media. Their thoughts are chronicled on TalkingwithTom.

Email marketing company Emma liked what it saw when Tom spoke on the idea at a conference soon after. Emma immediately thought of how appealing the idea of creating content on a budget would be. It doesn’t have to take a huge team and tons of equipment. Customers frequently agree that content is one of the biggest hurdles in any campaign, this journey would be a great to vehicle to help customers learn. Emma and Tom clicked, sponsorship papers were signed and an adventure in social media was off and running.

How did Tom choose the honored interviewees? Luckily, the marketing world is a noisy, gossipy, networking one. A handful of folks would always be at the same conference. Tweets would ensue. LinkedIn was involved. Essentially, Tom ended up being the one in demand. All it takes is a couple people to get excited about one individual, and with social media moving so fast, there’s always someone new to get excited about.

The videos presented have become a jocular conversation, with those profiled bouncing ideas and witty jabs off of each other. When I asked Tom about interesting interviewing experiences he brought up both Peter Shankman and CC Chapman (who referred to this week’s Ann Handley as a media sex symbol of the times.) (Way to go Ann!) Tom says that in interviews, he always gets the best responses to the unexpected questions.

With Talking with Tom such a success, it was time to take the campaign to the next level. Enter- the #LastWord. Who really dominates social media? Emma came up with the initial list of nominees but the audience gets the final say. Write-ins are allowed and encouraged. Remove previous klout (viral and spelled with a c) and add the public dynamic that continues to become more present in all media campaigns. The nominees are impressive. Steve Colbert is up there, as is Steve Jobs. I had to ask Tom how Jobs’ resignation would affect his changes. Sorry to say, he has been slipping in the polls. But hey, there’s still time to give him the sympathy vote! Tom thinks he’ll pull through. Sheryl Sandberg, Arianna Huffington, Chris Sacca, Kevin Rose, Marissa Mayer, and Bill Gates round out the influential crew.

The official closing date is this Thursday, September 1, so you still have time to vote and be a part of a really cool public initiative. Then the real fun begins as Tom tries to pin down the winner for his/her synopsis on what the future of social media in marketing may be. You’ll be seeing updates on Tom’s journey every 5-10 days, ultimately documenting the scheduling of the interview. The crescendo won’t take place until December, just in time to wrap up what truly has been a social media-tastic 2011.

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