Stating the Obvious | Why Marketers Do It All the Time

Hair Before-AfterI recently had a very dramatic haircut. Before and after picture to the right. As a result I have had more than the normal number of people comment. Positive comments of course, but they usually come in the following format:

Person: You got your hair cut?!!
Me: Yes. Time for a change.
Person: Wow! You really made a change. It looks really great!
Me: Thank you.  [Read more…]

Fastest Thumbs in the West – Tips for Live Tweeting at Events

Tips for Live Sharing at EventsI recently attended an IABC event at Text100 in San Francsico. The topic – Content Distribution – was especially relevant to me and to those who follow me on social media. I took this as an opportunity to share some ideas, thoughts using my Twitter handle: @prdreamer. At the end of the event, several people came up to me impressed that I was able to send out so many tweets. I thought I would share a few tips.  [Read more…]

Super Bowl Super Year – Well Written Tweet

So, I had a very strange thing happen to me this week. Let me explain …

I attended an event I helped plan for the Silicon Valley chapter of the International Association of Business Communications (SV/IABC). It was a lovely affair at Levi’s Stadium here in Santa Clara, Calif. (more about that in a moment). As I usually do, I sent a few tweets about the event. One of them included a photo of the speaker, and a pretty benign explanation about where I am and the speaker’s name. Here’s my Tweet:

[Read more…]

Is Story Hour on Your Calendar?

The first month of 2015 is just about finished. Let’s face it, time moves fast, and so does the pace of communications and marketing.

Create a StoryNo matter what industry you work in, or what kind of company you work for, business moves faster than most of us want to admit. Why do you think we are all chained to our mobile phones, stressing out each time we hear the email notification, and diving for our phones to answer on the first ring?

What if we took a few minutes and stopped what we were doing to take a few minutes to seriously consider about the story we want to tell?

[Read more…]

Social Media Changes Fast

It’s been a long while since I’ve done a few things, but this post will be about social media and blogging. I took some time off from my most public of profiles, including Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare and some others. In the last few weeks I have been playing more using my social media profiles.

So Much to Learn
So many interesting posts, so little time. I had forgotten how many amazingly smart people use social media to share their expertise. Just by reading a few articles a day over the past few weeks, I have learned about what I have missed in the social media game while I was taking a break, and have picked up many very useful pieces of information.

Decide Which Network to Use and When
A much improved tool I have been exploring is Klout. This tool now helps you to decide which pieces of content will be on target for your audiences on each network. Lately, I have been sharing short info and some images on Twitter, while using Facebook for more personal posts about my interests, and LinkedIn for items that pertain directly to business and best practices. I have noticed by Klout score jump a few points, just by paying attention.

My most successful post over the few weeks is a retweet of an Arbor Day tweet from Smokey Bear. The yoga component got me several retweets. Here it is:

PRDreamer-SmokeyBear-Yoga-Tweet

What’s So Great About Infographics?

My favorite thing about a good infographic is that I can learn something new in just a few minutes. In addition, I can learn more about something I already know very quickly. And, lastly, they can summarize a complicated issue in a way that many people can understand.

Here are a few of my favorites from the last few weeks or so.

  1. One of my favorite things: Wine. “Malbec 101
  2. Something interesting: Technology. “The Lighter Side of IT History
  3. A good summary for work: Social Media. “The CMO’s Guide to the 2014 Social Landscape

I have been doing a little bit of research about tools to create infographics. I’ve been playing around with Canva, Piktochart, Easel.ly and Infogr.am.

What are your favorite infographics? Please share them below.

malbec-101_Infographic

Add Social Media to the Mix, Don’t Replace Your Program with It

This article – B2B Social Media Should Amplify Traditional Marketing, Not Replace It | Social Media B2B – from Social Media B2B is so true. So many brands are trying to replace an entire integrated communications campaign with social media. It just doesn’t work this way.

Social media should be an additional component to a brand’s entire communications mix. No single tactic should be counted on to carry all of what needs to be done to make a brand successful. Only when everything works together in concert can a truly successful campaign be found.

How do you measure the success of integrating social media in your campaigns?

Twitter: Speed Dating At a Convention Mixer

Just read this fantastic article from Business2Community comparing social media networks to a bar scene.

My favorite: Twitter: Speed dating at a convention mixer.

What is your favorite comparison?

Cheers to Catching Up with Long Lost Friends/Colleagues

Tonight I went to the monthly Mix event for AIGA/OC. It’s been several months (let’s say six) since I attended. I was reminded of the third Thursday monthly event by a Facebook post from a friend. Social media works, people. It got one extra person to the event tonight.

While there, I ran into people I haven’t seen in person on probably two years or more. It reminded me that it’s important to keep in touch with folks. Don’t forget to work your connections, you never know where the next piece of business will come from.

My list of people to contact for lunch or coffee dates has increased by at least four based on one evening. I’m committed to working through my contact list and networking. And, out of that there are infinite possibilities.

What possibilities did you create today?

Social Media for Social Good

Recently, Mashable profiled a woman from Chicago who was homeless and used social media to change her circumstances. She may not have had a home, but she had a cell phone and used Twitter to help her deal with mental health issues. She thought that the aspect of minimal anonymity would help her get past her fears of talking to people.

What happened? Well, she met people who helped her pay her bills and who became her friends. She has been off the streets since April 2011 and has not plans to turn back.

This story is a true testament to the fact that social media can help just about anyone. So, the next time you think that social media can’t help you or your company, think creatively, decide your goals and get going.