Posts Tagged ‘professional development’

Rein in Your Event Hashtags

4 comments Written on August 24th, 2011 by
Categories: Events, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
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Too many hashtags leads to confusion and dilutionI saw the program for a social media conference recently that had 16 unique hashtags peppered throughout the agenda program.  My first reaction was why?  Some of the hashtags were the city and state name of the event location while others were plain generic like #Day1 and #blogging.  The event had a unique name that should have been the main hashtag used to create awareness of the event.  However by placing up to five hashtags for each agenda item the event hashtag got lost.

This is the wrong strategy for several reasons.  First it dilutes the main brand that you are trying to promote and position. Secondly tracking the tags to measure chatter volume will be inaccurate when you have tags like #RaleighNC or #SeattleWA that may be used by tourists or economic development tweeters.  Third and most important, you are confusing the very people attending the event that need to understand how to use social media effectively to communicate.

Most of the seasoned professionals in any discipline go to events for two reasons: to speak and to network.  They don’t go for professional development and education.  Sure they may pick up a few tips but they are not there to ramp up knowledge quickly.  The attendees that shell out their hard earned money are there for that.  They want to build up expertise quickly, find starting points for new projects and save time determining what thought leadership blogs they should be reading.

A novice may see multiple hashtags and wonder what they are, what purpose do they serve and how are they used?  By bombarding them with multiple keywords in hashtags the event staf is confusing them and not teaching best practices.  Part of me thinks that the reasoning behind putting multiple hashtags on a conference agenda or signage is to look sophisticated, smart and savvy.  This is when I love to yell at these people through my screen, “You’re doing it wrong!”

Tom Webster (@webby2001) puts out a tweet when he speaks at or attends events stating, “For those of you following at home, the hashtag is…” Tom gets it and knows that there are interested people not at the event that want to share in the information and knowledge being presented.  Multiple hashtags makes it frustrating and irritating for those following the event and not realizing that the hashtag they are tracking is only one of several.

What do you think?  Is having multiple event hashtags smart or confusing?

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Posted in Events, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy

Beyond the Basics: Enterprise Social Media Strategy

1 Comment » Written on February 14th, 2011 by
Categories: Beyond the Basics, Social Media, Strategy
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David B. Thomas (@davidbthomas) executive director at New Marketing Labs is releasing his new book today, The Executive’s Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy, co-authored with Mike Barlow.

David and I discussed some great strategies and tactics from his findings including:

  • Creating a cross-functional, enterprise-wide team as a starting point for creating social media policy and practices.
  • How to manage large international teams creating social media presence for your corporation.
  • Creating a strategy that allows management to understand how to implement, manage and measure social media.

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Posted in Beyond the Basics, Social Media, Strategy

Five Tips for Improved Intra-Office Communication

7 comments Written on December 3rd, 2010 by
Categories: Productivity, Social Media, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Improve office communication with time saving technologyA business that improves communication between workers in an office will improve morale and boost productivity. Ultimately, a large office with poor communication will pay the price because miscommunication usually affects the bottom line. Fortunately, however, the digital revolution has resulted in numerous online communication services that can make intra-office communication drop-dead simple.

Here are 5 ways to get started on improving intra-office communication in your office.

1. Allow Workers to Use Instant Messengers

Instant messaging (IM) is used in many offices for employee collaboration. They use it either to replace email or in addition to email. Offices that use both systems use IM for quick messages or conversations and email for messages not requiring immediate attention or for longer FYI messages. Originally a social tool to chat with friends from a home computer, IM has been adopted by office workers as a way to avoid telephone tag or leaving a desk to discuss a project. All IM communication requires is an Internet connection and a small application loaded onto the local computer’s hard-drive.

Within an office setting, IM is much easier and faster to use than email and creates more of an instant conversation rather than a long-drawn out email rally. There are three reasons why IM is more efficient than email:

  1. First, a pop up mechanism displays a message almost as soon as it is sent.
  2. Second, it has a “buddy list” that can be organized efficiently, editing, adding, or deleting contacts.
  3. Third, it signals if a “buddy” is available for conversation or does not want to be disturbed. For example, if a status message indicates that someone is out of the office, then the sender can write an email or leave a voice message.

2. Set up Yammer

Yammer is like Twitter or Facebook, but within a private, secure social network. It’s creating a quiet revolution in office communications. The enterprise level software helps a business achieve rapid communication, complete collaborative tasks, and meet long-term goals. Rather than long-drawn out telephone conversations, endless meetings, and consulting on technical problems, it provides increased communication. It can be used in a large office where workers are scattered over a large area or it can be used in connecting with remote workers. Signing up for this service only takes a minute. A company email address is all that is necessary to get started with Yammer.

3. Create a Private LinkedIn Group

LinkedIn is a professional network service, a social networking website for business relationship building. Apart from allowing users to create a resume-like profile page, it also allows for small, private groups to be created.

A Linkedin group permits users to discover a conversational thread; participating by liking and commenting on the thread; learning more about the top influencers in a thread by clicking a link that takes you to their profile; distinguishing between old discussions and fresh, new ones; reviewing the popularity of a discussion by seeing how many people signaled that they liked the thread and how many commented on it.

The major benefit of this tool is to stimulate brainstorming and pooling of information and ideas. This is a perfect tool for a technical company where people with different levels of knowledge and skills can collaborate, share ideas, offer feedback and come up with new ideas.

4. Keep Employees Informed With a CRM Tool

Use an online customer relationship management tool to allow staff workers to see what other workers have said to a client. Highrise is an example of an excellent relationship management application. Their catchy theme slogan is that the software remembers so that you don’t forget. Highrise provides the following 6 staff-client recording services:

  1. It stores every oral or written conversation.
  2. It stores every email contact.
  3. It stores every telephone call.
  4. It stores every meeting.
  5. It stores every document.
  6. It stores every deal made.

These services provide the following 3 benefits:

  1. You’ll know which staff members have talked to the client.
  2. You’ll know what was said.
  3. You’ll know when to follow-up.

5. Use a Dedicated Project Management Tool

An application like Basecamp makes projects simple and clear. What makes Basecamp different from most project management software is that it takes a completely different approach to managing a project. By focusing on collaboration and communication rather than stats, graphs, and charts, the tool brings people together, empowering them to harmoniously work with each other. During a recent survey, approval rating was an astonishing 98%. Customers said that they would gladly recommend the software to anyone involved in a collaborative project.

John is a writer for Office Kitten, a specialist supplier of stationery online in the UK.

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Posted in Productivity, Social Media, Strategy, Uncategorized

Beyond the Basics: Managing Multiple Twitter Accounts

13 comments Written on November 16th, 2010 by
Categories: Beyond the Basics, Marketing, Portfolio, Social Media, Strategy, Video
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Beyond the Basics is a new video series where I am interviewing leading marketing and communication professionals to discuss advanced social media and interactive marketing strategies and tactics.  Over the past few months I’ve attended many social media and interactive marketing presentations and I find myself and my peers saying, “getting tired of hearing the same basic presentation.”

For my first interview I chose Greg Ng (@gregoryng) Chief Experience Officer at Brooks Bell Interactive.  I asked Greg about how he manages multiple Twitter accounts and personalities, both personal and corporate.  Some of the interesting findings include:

  • Taking time to ensure you have the right account
  • Timing between sending out tweets and retweets
  • Identifying individual personalities on corporate accounts

Thanks to Greg for agreeing to be my first guest.  Look for more interviews over the next several months as I explore SEO/SEM, conversion strategies, other social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn as well as writing tips, content strategies and design.

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Posted in Beyond the Basics, Marketing, Portfolio, Social Media, Strategy, Video

9 Tips for Finding the Virtual Office Assistant of Your Dreams

5 comments Written on October 19th, 2010 by
Categories: Productivity, Strategy
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Virtual office assistants are a great way to get more done without spending a lot of money, especially when your business is small. You get to pay someone only for the time spent working for you or by the tasks they do for you without worrying about all the overhead associated with hiring a traditional employee. Although the concept is good, sometimes getting the right person for the job can be challenging. Below you will find 10 tips for finding the virtual office assistant of your dreams.

  1. Evaluate your requirements – Before you jump the gun and take on a virtual assistant, define what you want the assistant to do. What projects will the assistant work on? How often do you need to meet? Can you use an assistant who is located anywhere in the world or do you need someone locally, regionally, or nationally? Develop a set of criteria that you need your virtual assistant to meet before hand so you get the best match.
  2. Request proposals from several virtual assistants – When you do this, specify your work requirements and get feedback from each candidate. Find out how their fee structures work and how they intend to fulfill your responsibilities. If your assistant needs specific qualifications, the time to find out if they have them is at the start, before your project gets underway.
  3. Take out ads on online job boards – Advertise for a virtual assistant much in the same way you would look for a regular employee. List your job specs and terms and see how many applications you receive. By getting candidates to come to you, you spend less time finding leads. Also you may get lower rates when they are coming to you rather than have you going to them.
  4. Consider freelance sites – If you have isolated tasks or an eclectic mix of jobs that must be done, think about posing them on a freelance site. This way one or more worker can choose the jobs they are able to do for you and then report back when they are done. Often you can get more work done this way since multiple workers can work on the same project at the same time.
  5. Use an outsourcing agency – Companies like Virtual Staff Finder (http://www.virtualstafffinder.com) eliminate much of the work involved with finding a virtual assistant that you can depend on. By handling the screening, qualifying, and testing process, these companies help you quickly hire a virtual assistant. Like many traditional staffing agencies, these companies charge a fee for their services as they partner with you for success.
  6. Consider former employees – If people who used to work for you might still be willing to work for you, they may be one of the most potent pools of virtual assistants. Since they already know you and your business, they will be able to adapt quickly to your new requirements. Also, the flexibility of being a virtual worker will allow them to earn some extra money without disrupting their schedule.
  7. Experience matters – When hiring a virtual worker, you will need to make sure they have sufficient maturity and experience to be useful to you. Your objective is to save time and money, so the burden of training a virtual worker will not be beneficial to you at all. Ask for resumes, references, and examples of work before closing the deal with your new assistant.
  8. Look for traditional qualities – Don’t let the fact that you are looking for someone in the modern workforce cause you to forget the old fashioned qualities of loyalty and diligence that add to the value of an assistant’s creativity and competence.
  9. Be fair – Just because you are hiring a virtual assistant doesn’t mean you should exploit their labor or treat them worse than you would a traditional worker. Be reasonable with your demands and with your pay and the word might get out that you are a good virtual employer, helping you to attract even better virtual workers in the future.

Use these 9 tips for finding the virtual office assistant of your dreams to launch your business to new levels of success.

John Brook is a regular guest contributor to blogs where he posts about business productivity. Currently working as a writer at Office Kitten, John spends a lot of his time analysing office stationery for businesses based in the UK.

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Posted in Productivity, Strategy

10 Tips for Searching for Jobs Online

3 comments Written on September 30th, 2010 by
Categories: Strategy
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Employers are leaving the world of print media behind by posting their jobs exclusively online. They are advertising on message boards, through social networks and on huge job posting sites. Businesses also advertise on their own websites where applicants from all over the world can vie for the best positions. Here are some tips to help you find that perfect new job.

  1. Find the site – There are numerous sites available to find your next position. You can go to Monster.com, Indeed, SnagAJob or CareerBuilder. Each site lists thousands of opportunities, from entry level to executive. Within each site there are search engines to help you narrow the possibilities.
  2. Maintain a professional resume – With so many applicants to the positions, you need your resume to pop. Avoid the overused, boring words like ‘responsible for’ and ‘handled,’ and talk about how much money you saved your employer. Your resume is the first introduction that a hiring manager receives, make it count.
  3. Be adaptable – Employers are looking for skills, rather than job titles, so each employer has a different job title. Look for synonyms in your search, a sales position may be listed as ‘account manager’ or ‘executive sales professional.’ Conversely, a ‘production manager’ at one company may not include your skill set.
  4. Tailor your cover letter – Perform research before you send your application. Find out what the position entails by looking at the keywords that the employer has used. Tailor your cover letter and resume to those hot buttons. If the company stresses attendance, mention how you received the perfect attendance award at your previous employer.
  5. Use LinkedIn in your search – LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. Connect with your former colleagues and friends. You can look for jobs within your field and ask for introductions to the hiring managers through your connections. A former colleague may be looking for someone within your field.
  6. Go to company websites – Many companies have a jobs and employment section on their website. They will list their specific positions available as well as their requirements. This option lets you apply for the position as well as do your research.
  7. Track your applications – Make a list of the positions for which you have applied. List all of the available information, including the name of the company, name of the hiring professional and a small snippet of information about the services that company offers. When you receive the callback, you want to have that information on hand.
  8. Forums – Read industry specific forums. There are often boards for employment opportunities. By reading previous posts, you can also gain some insight into your future employer’s needs. Interact with the others on the forums, as they might offer leads or have need for your services.
  9. Give them a call – Follow up on your position by calling the employer. Make sure that they received your resume and offer your assistance with any possible questions. You are telling the employer that you are serious about the position and it offers an opportunity to grow from the job search process.
  10. Follow your gut instincts – If you receive an unsolicited offer, chances are the originator of the email is fishing for information. There may be something about the company which does not seem right. If you feel uncomfortable, do not take the job.

The perfect job is out there. You need to be persistent in your efforts, knocking on virtual doors and following up on your applications. Be professional and available to your potential employers. That perfect opportunity will soon be yours!

This post was written by James Adam who reviews products like HP 351XL ink at a supplier of HP cartridges based in the UK.

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Posted in Strategy

8 Subtle Ways to Make Yourself Look More Professional

7 comments Written on August 23rd, 2010 by
Categories: Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
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Self employed workers have their hands full juggling multiple roles every day, so keeping a professional appearance can be challenging at times. Freelancers and so-called “one man bands” already struggle when it comes to competing with large corporations. It is hard to answer the phones, take out the trash and still create awesome presentations and competitive proposals. To win contracts and jobs from corporations that are accustomed to dealing with other large companies, solo workers need all the help they can get. Here are 8 subtle ways to make yourself look more professional when selling yourself and your business to corporate customers.

1. Take the initiative by shaking hands first: By seizing the opportunity you exude confidence and the energy that only big players have.

2. Dress for the seasons: You may be working on your own and operating on a shoestring, but you can look professional by showing an awareness of appropriate attire. Keep your accessories to appropriate levels and wear appropriate colors. By showing that you have fashion sense you will silently communicate that you have the class and sophistication to compete with the big players in your field.

3. Create brand definition: As a freelancer or contractor you need to learn from your corporate competitors: let your brand drive everything you do. Create a succinct mission statement; keep your fonts and images consistent in everything from your correspondence to your website. Develop your brand this way and you will shed the “Mom and Pop” look and level the playing field in a dramatic way.

4. Get the fax: The online age has left many small players with IP and mobile phones that make it difficult to use with fax machines. Your corporate competitors have expensive phone systems that keep them sending and receiving faxes at will. Don’t be caught having your faxes sent to or from the local office store: subscribe to an online fax service that gives you a toll free fax number that you can use to receive faxes. These services also allow you to upload files to be faxed, so you can avoid the embarrassment of being unable to use fax services.

5. Alternative PDFs: Many freelancers lack the resources to purchase luxuries such as Adobe PDF software. Don’t let that stop you from sending professional grade PDF documents. Free alternatives such as PrimoPDF let you compile everything from invoices to proposals just like your larger competitors do.

6. Video conferencing: A subtle way to make yourself look more professional is doing business by video. Large corporations have cut back on travel to save money and to be environmentally conscious: you can do the same even if you’re low on cash. Dimdim offers a great free service that allows you to set up meetings with up to twenty people using a browser-based application. Show that you have a green company too.

7. Get your brand online: Small players like you can really look bad if a potential customer searches for you online and you cannot be found. Get to work on your online brand. Hire a professional to build your site. Create a blog that supports your niche and get on LinkedIn and other social sites. Let yourself shine online where you can look as professional as you like without much expense.

8. Chit chat: Those who spend most of their time working alone may start slipping in their social skills. Make it a point to develop or maintain the ability to strike up conversations with strangers so you can use small talk to your advantage at your next presentation. Develop an awareness of what potential clients want you to say and do not disappoint them. Focus attention on them: most people love talking about themselves.

These 8 subtle ways to make yourself look more professional only touch the tip of the iceberg. Literally, there are hundreds of small things you can do to make yourself appear professional, capable, and ready to compete. Don’t let the fact that you work on your own hold you back. Get a more professional appearance starting today.

This is a guest post from James Adams, a UK-based writer for a leading ink supplies specialist where he covers developments in tech, analyses and reviews products such as the T0715 and, when time permits, occasionally manages to post their blog.

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Strategy

Tips for a Successful RFP Response

3 comments Written on July 30th, 2010 by
Categories: Marketing
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If you’ve ever had to prepare a proposal response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) you know it can be a challenge. RFPs come in all shapes and sizes and no two are alike. Some can be over 100 pages while others can be less than 1,000 words. Either way your response is what is judged to award the project to your company and bring in revenue.

When reviewing RFPs it’s important to look at the document in several ways. After initial team reviews of the RFP questions tend to arise. You should always check to see if the organization issuing the RFP allows you to submit questions about the RFP and what the deadline is for submitting those questions. Also check to see if all questions submitted will be publicized so that you can review other firms’ questions as well as yours.

When you first review the RFP get a highlighter and outline both questions and requirements. Use different color highlighters for each so that you can easily identify on future reviews. I typically print the RFP on 3-hole punch paper and put it in a binder so that I can attach post-it notes for callouts and tag specific sections if necessary.

Along with the deadline to submit questions, there is a deadline for when proposals are to be received. Look at this date and plan to have your response arrive at least 3-5 days earlier. Work backward from that date to allow time to prepare the necessary materials for submission. You will most likely have a few reviews so plan time for the team to review the proposal as it develops and send your schedule to the entire team so they can allow time for their contributions.

Next carefully review and analyze how points are awarded for different parts of the proposal. Points are taken away for various reasons including how many pages your proposal is and your proposal can even be disqualified if you do not adhere to the restrictions defined. Also weighting of points for various parts can affect how much time you spend on that subject matter. If the points awarded for team bios are only 10% of the total don’t put too much effort into rewrites and headshots.

Packaging is also crucial to how your proposal is received and viewed. Your document layout should be clean and legible with an appropriate amount of white space so that it’s not too crowded. Using styles will help you greatly. Many RFPs have a numbering system that you will need to refer to so if you can use auto numbering to match your responses to questions in the RFP that’s great. If it’s too cumbersome then manually enter the corresponding numbers and data. Don’t try and make your word processing application jump through too many hoops.

Once you have the document written and reviewed your done right? Wrong! Now you have to package the document, both hard copy and sometimes digital copies on CD-ROM or other media. Carefully review how many copies and if they need to be sealed. Many times the cost proposal may be submitted in a separate sealed envelope that needs to be marked accordingly. I’ve found that using laser printed labels can both identify the different versions of the proposal as well as seal the envelope. If allowed put the RFP number the label. Save your templates and you can use them for future RFPs.

Hopefully if your product or service meets the RFP requirements and your proposal is well written and easy to read, you should be a top contender to win the contract!

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Posted in Marketing

Can Your Marketing Manager Do This?

16 comments Written on July 16th, 2010 by
Categories: Marketing, PR, SEO, Social Media
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When you look at job descriptions for marketing managers these days you wonder if any one person can really fulfill the role.  Marketing has expanded greatly in the past dozen years as the Internet and digital marketing has exploded.  Today when I look at position descriptions for marketing managers and directors I see a huge list of skills required including:
Can your marketing manager do this?

  • Planning and coordinating marketing programs and campaigns
  • Identifying new marketing opportunities
  • Manage and develop CRM programs
  • Manage and track social media communications
  • Development of traditional sales collateral
  • Trade show and special events management
  • Development and management of online advertising, pay-per-click campaigns and Google Adwords programs
  • Create, manage and administration of website content with knowledge of HTML, CSS and other web technologies
  • SEO/SEM administration and tracking website traffic
  • Develop and promote demonstration videos, kits and point of sale programs
  • Write, edit and distribute press releases
  • Manage relationships with vendors
  • Develop and manage marketing budgets
  • Design and implement email marketing campaigns and programs
  • Various duties to support sales teams

What really amazes me is when people looking for managers to fill the roles they state 3 years of experience. Really 3 years to learn all of this?  In my first three years of marketing I learned about developing corporate collateral, managing tradeshows, direct mail promotions and tracking PR efforts.  We had a 3-5 person marketing team for a company of approximately 110 people with 3 distinct product lines.  Other members of the team were responsible for content development, budgeting, high level planning and CRM.

Realistically any company looking to have a single person do all these skills and efforts well is not being realistic.  I’ve discovered that small businesses trying to be all things to all people in marketing tend to skim the surface of these efforts because the one person doing all the work is trying to keep their head above water.  True the marketing manager should be involved in all these efforts but some of the work needs to be outsourced or additional resources should be brought in to help with specific programs like SEO/SEM and online ad management.  Heck Google Adwords alone is a full time job!

Even if you do find someone that is semi-proficient in all these areas how well do you think they can perform them in a 40 hour work week?

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Posted in Marketing, PR, SEO, Social Media

Triangle AMA Social Media Boot Camp

No Comments » Written on June 21st, 2010 by
Categories: Portfolio, Video
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This video was from the Triangle AMA (@TriangleAMA) Social Media Training Camp. I shot and co-edited the footage with Jeremy Smith (@jeremysaid) for the chapter. The event was a great success and one of the best Raleigh Social Media workshops to date!

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Posted in Portfolio, Video

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