Almost two years ago, when I read Rohit Bhargava’s social media bio post, I said, “Hey! I’ve got to do that and I’ve got to write about how cool it is to do that.” Time flies . . . and this format came back to me as I was preparing my presentation for job seekers…
Ever go to an event, have a fantastic time and wish you could keep the experience going? When you move the experience online, the event takes on an afterlife of its own. Community PR Strategies: 9 Ways to Keep Events Alive Online – Even After They’re Over 1. Assign a twitter hashtag for the event….
Here’s a quick video I found today on iMedia from their Brand Summit. You can show this to those who wonder if social media is valuable or watch it yourself for ideas on how social media might work with your branding. Key: it’s all about community. The interview features: Jim Calhoun, PopularMedia Melissa Hudson, A&E …
What are women snacking on these days? Hint: it’s not chocolate, strawberries or cupcakes. According to MediaPost’s Online Video Insider, more women are snacking on inspiration in the form of online videos. Although 77% of viewers watched 34% more video than they did last year, the comScore report’s biggest ah-hahs come from women. Women spend…
Today I’m testing out a new way to communicate for speakers: a question and answer page that conveys who you are while answering the basic FAQs to save the meeting planner time. Let me know what you think . . . . and feel free to adapt this format to fit your speaker profile page…
Leave it to Chris Brogan to write what I’ve been thinking about. In his post, Grow Bigger Ears in 10 Minutes, Chris walks you through a process for listening to conversations online. You need to do this. It takes a surprisingly short amount of time to tune into online conversations – using Chris’ system. And,…
What do women business owners really want to know about business, technology and communications? Listen in to a podcast and read twitter transcripts captured at a lively evening at the Apple Store. Thanks to Theresa Carter, founder of Chicago’s “The Local Tourist” and Blagica Bottigliero [don’t we look like a fun trio?] for letting me…
A few days ago I spoke to a group that started programming early in the morning. Although I wasn’t on until 9:45 I decided to get there early to hear the first speaker talk about communications. Our preliminary exercise required that we introduce the person to our right. The person on my left introduced the…
Is there a simple way to tell how you’re doing in social media? How can you gauge what’s working and what needs to be fixed? In preparing for a presentation, I came up with ways to rank five social media marketing and PR essential elements. Plan Platforms Keywords Images Stories Social Media Marketing Scoring Guide…
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. While there’s lots of talk about our new president being the first to bring technology into White House communications, maybe this reference really belongs to President Obama’s role model, Abraham Lincoln. On November 7, 2006 – election day – I wrote a post called Abe Lincoln’s T-Mails: high-tech Civil…
As a backdrop for my presentation to “It’s Chic to be Geek” I’m sharing a process we usually only show to our clients. Called the Creative WorkPlan, it’s a structure thought process/checklist that walks you through why you’re writing or communication just about anything. Thanks to Theresa Carter, founder of Chicago’s “The Local Tourist” and…
Looking for ways to energize your message delivery? Here’s the list we use when we create wired writing for our clients. Wired Writing: Ways to Enliven Writing Start with what’s most important Active versus passive voice You versus we Peer editing Short sentences Lead with verbs Tell stories Gunning Fog Index Read aloud Interview Research…
Looking for ways to energize your message delivery? Here’s the list we use when we create wired writing for our clients. Wired Writing: Ways to Enliven Writing Start with what’s most important Active versus passive voice You versus we Peer editing Short sentences Lead with verbs Tell stories Gunning Fog Index Read aloud Interview Research…
“Google is every brand’s new home page.” “You might want to think less about “marketing” and more about “findability.” Two of my favorite quotes from Brink, a new new ebook that captures the best of Todd Defren’s writing at his blog, PR Squared. A principal at SHIFT Communications, Todd sets the tone for the…
“It’ll never work. It’s taken me 12 years to do what I do. You have to practice for hours to do these tricks. And, you have bail – a lot.” 16 year old skateboarder’s answer to why he won’t give skateboarding lessons It’s Monday and I’m in the mood for some motivation. What do you…
What do you tell people you do when you meet them for the first time? Are you a title, a profession, an entrepreneur or something else? On the way to a networking event, I decided to introduce myself as “The Optimizer” or someone who optimizes people, places and things. It’s fun to test out different…
While it didn’t take a press release to get interviewed in a feature about the power of press releases for small businesses on inc.com [published this week], it did take a personal connection. A connection with the writer, Marla Tabaka, a contributor to inc.com’s one person business blog series. Marla also writes for Sparkplugging. A…
Do you know what RSS stands for? Do you care? You do, if you want to get news delivered somewhere to you automatically online. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It’s like ordering online subscriptions to blogs, news sites, twitter updates or any content that has an RSS feed. Sounds kind of fancy to have…
Groups give speakers get all kinds of gifts: flowers, chocolate, gift certificates. One of the best “gifts” you can give a speaker is a recommendation. Although I use critique sheets for reviews, it’s not often that a get a group review like this one from West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs. What I like about this format:…
I’m getting ready to redesign this blog and I’m asking for your help. After writing over 550 blog posts, it’s safe to say I like what I’m doing. But, do my readers? How can I make visiting this blog a better experience for them? Click Here to take a quick blog redesign survey Now that…
Does your website need refreshing? Are you attracting all the traffic you want? Does your intent match your results? Every website needs a review now and then. In this article by Barbara Rozgonyi, you’ll discover 20 tactics you can use to revitalize your website. Originally published in October 2007, this post suggests 20 ways to…
Here’s the latest in our reader Q&A series . . . from a college student in Toronto who asked questions in the comment box on a recent post about questioning twitter boundaries. Thanks to Cory for giving me permission to answer her questions as a blog post and to and to everyone who contributes to…
Technorati Tags: branding,marketing,public relations Want to help people remember something? Forming your message into an acronym catches attention and gets you noticed. Possibilities for S-O-C-I-A-L: S subject, space, story, super O organize, open, opus, ostrich C content, create, cool, classic I intelligent, insight, investment, innuendo A act, action, American, all, art L learn, laugh, love,…
Now we’re getting somewhere. Momentum is building in Chicago around all things social media. As a founding member of the second city’s Social Media Club, I’m thrilled to see people packing rooms to learn, network and advance social media for themselves, their companies and the community at large. Check out Social Media Club Chicago’s Facebook…
“I’m calling you because I’m in the happy doodle business. This guy wants to get serious. Maybe you can help him. Here’s his number” That’s the call I got late one afternoon from a well-regarded PR agency that specializes in happy stories. But, life isn’t always happy, fun or pretty – even though some PR…
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