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Marketing for Non-Profits: When Doing Good Goes Bad
“I don’t know how other people do it. I won’t work with non-profit clients ever again!”And so it begins: Another marketing pro frustrated by the way things work, and sometimes don’t, within the non-profit world.We all have work we love, and work...
Social Media Networks: Robot Friends with Off Switches
In Sherry Turkle’s amazing book, Alone Together, she tells the story of a man named Adam.Adam has the goal of becoming either a songwriter or a screenwriter, but at the time Turkle meets him, he is just trying to make ends meet so that he can work...
Host a Successful Webinar
I’ve been doing this marketing and communications thing for a long time (don’t ask how long; I’ll lie to you) and have tried nearly every tactic possible.I’m here to tell you, the very best way, particularly for business-to-business organizations,...
How a Blogging Community Can Help Mediate Problems with Authorship
In a couple of weeks, I am keynoting Social Capital in Ottawa (love my Canadians!) and my topic is Blogging, Community, and Making it Work.As I begin to think about what I’ll present during that hour, I’ve been thinking about our community here and...
The Comfort of Strangers: Human Social Media
There exists a special tool that can comfort people, share both good news and bad, and connect kindred spirits in a way that simply was not possible a few short years ago.While giving comfort has always been around, the ability to comfort strangers...
The Best of the Least Engaged Brands on Twitter
A couple of weeks ago, Brian Tudor tweeted DJ Waldow and me and said, “What makes an engaged brand on Twitter?”We had a back-and-forth discussion about what it entails: Conversation, shares, retweets, and shares of others’s content.Brian said, “Okay...
The Success Trap and Regrets of the Dying
Late last week, I was having a conversation with a friend about life. He said he’s frustrated because he feels like he’s behind some of his peers at this stage in his life.I don’t know if other cultures do this, but Americans tend to compare...
Creativity vs. Me-too Content Creation [VIDEO]
There’s been a good deal of talk about content overload lately.How all of our efforts may soon come to a non-rapturous end in the Crap-ocalypse that now represents much of content creation and sharing.One of the best commentaries on this is the...
How to Measure PR: Use These Tools
I love it when big conferences are held in Chicago because I get to see all of my friends without having to get on a plane…and I get to sleep in my own bed.This past weekend was SOBCon, the mastermind of Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker St. Marie,...
Seven Tips for Dealing with Online Trolls
Yesterday afternoon, I took a break and went out for a bike ride.It went from winter to summer in Chicago and it’s supposed to go back to winter tomorrow so it’s important I take advantage of the warm weather when I can!As I turned onto our tree-...
Ten Steps for Managing an Online Crisis
In 2006, Wal-Mart was caught redhanded cheating its way through the Internet to receive attention.Their PR firm hired actors to pretend they were traveling the country in an RV, visiting Wal-Mart locations as they drove, and blogging about their...
Five Ways to Inspire a Culture for Content Marketing
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”That’s a quote credible sources attribute to Peter Drucker.I’ve come to realize companies tend to fall into one of three culture camps: Those who believe in culture, those who don’t, and those who pay lip...
Seven Steps to Clean-Up Your Online Reputation
Do you remember the story of Florida pizza shop owner, Scott Van Duzer, who hugged President Obama during a campaign stop in 2012?The President stopped by Van Duzer’s restaurant to recognize him for his efforts in helping provide blood to patients...
Get Media Attention: 6 Tips to Pitch Journalists on Your Own
When I began my career, like many of us, I was thrown into the deep end of the media relations pool.The expectation, of course, was if I could create relationships with journalists, I’d eventually be able to do the same with the executives within...
Is "Thought Leadership" Just Business Jargon?
I’m tripping over thought leadership these days.Stubbing my toes on #thoughtleader hashtags and barking my virtual shins on “how to become a thought leader” articles and posts.Welcome to our digital world in 2013.With the rise in popularity of...
Four Ways to Reward Your Online Community
Social media matters because everyone likes it.Even if you detest some (or all!) of the platforms, using the big ones is almost mandatory for brands at this point.Each day millions of people all around the world log into their social networks and...
Public Relations: Lessons from Marty McFly
Remember the pivotal scene in Back to the Future II when Marty McFly travels back (or forward?) to 1985, only to find that it’s totally screwed up because he messed with his parents’ past?He’s completely disoriented.He has no idea how the house...
Using News Releases to Boost Your Online Visibility
Today’s guest post is by Tara Geissinger.There is an ongoing conversation among communications and SEO professionals, alike, about the value of using news releases to boost your online visibility.While there are SEO benefits, publishing news...
Six Tips for Managing an Out-of-Control Social Media Crisis
One would think, in 2013, anyone who does social media professionally has this whole social web figured out. Particularly when one works for a big brand that has hundreds of thousands of customers who know how to use Facebook and Twitter.But I guess...
How Social Media Affects Your Job Search
My entire team is in Chicago right now for our 2013 planning meeting and holiday dinner.In preparation for the week, travel plans were made, client work was doubled to make up for two days away, guest blog posts were scheduled, and anticipation...
