Simple. Brilliant. And just a great move. Then they moved on to much more obscure holidays.

And, even more obscure holidays.

OK, so a few other brands might have beat Oreo to the punch of promoting holidays on Facebook in somewhat interesting ways. But, it was Oreo that brought it to the next level. They popularized it.

And now, it seems, everyone is following their lead.

Brands big and small now routinely celebrate and acknowledge mainstay holidays like Easter and Valentine’s Day as well as the innane (but now suddenly popular) holidays like National Pi Day and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day.

But, as you look at all these brands suddenly recognizing these holidays, doesn’t it seem like engagement for the sake of engagement?

I have to raise the question: Is all this work promoting holidays by brands really beneficial?

As usual, the answer is gray: It depends. Depends on your strategy. Your goals. What you’re trying to achieve with Facebook.

For some brands, it makes sense. Here’s one example:

For Starbucks, this makes sense. They’re committed to the environment as an organization–celebrating Earth Day is a logical alignment.

But, other brands just don’t seem to be as aligned. Take a peek at just a few I found doing some simple searching:

First, Cousins Day? Second, what does that have to do with Kleenex?

Um, did Old Navy change businesses? Are they selling cookies in store now?

Not sure how this could possibly align with the Old Navy brand…

So, where does this leave us? I think brands just need to take a closer look at this business of using holidays to procure engagement on Facebook. If the day/month/holiday you’re recognizing doesn’t squarely align with your brand, its values and your culture, don’t promote it.

Simple, right?

Plus, I just have to say, enough with these ridiculous holidays. I mean,  does anyone really care about National Trail Mix Day? Or, National Cream-Filled Donut Day? Or National Pins & Needles Day? (All real “holidays”, by the way)

Chances are, most people haven’t even HEARD of this so-called “holidays.”

So, why promote them? Why take time and brainpower away from connecting with your fans about REAL topics, concerns and problems they have? Why not focus all that time and energy on developing content that: 1) Solves a problem, 2) Entertains, or 3) Educates, or (here’s a shock) 4) Results in leads/sales for your company.

I think brands continue to promote these holidays because they represent fairly easy content opportunities. And, let’s be honest, there’s an awful lot of brands (and the agencies that support them) that want to be like Oreo.

But again, are these kinds of posts going to lead to conversions for your brand (whatever those look like)? Are they going to build brand for your organization (they’re not exactly “ownable” content opportunities)?

So again, why do many brands persist?

I’m not sure.

For me, it comes down to the “less is more” theory. If brands are having a tough time coming up with content, maybe these companies should be posting fewer times, not more.

Maybe it’s OK to say less.

Maybe instead of focusing on holidays that don’t have much to do with their brand (or holidays their fans haven’t even heard of), they could be devoting those resources to developing unique and creative content that’s directly related to their brand–and their fans?

That’s my two cents. I’m really curious to hear what you think about this topic. From where I sit, a fair amount of brands are taking this approach, so I’d like to hear why so many folks are going this route–and what the pay-off has been.

Please weigh in with a short comment below.

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Should companies give up promoting holidays on Facebook? is a post from: Communications Conversations

I’ll be honest, I’ve been known to include a smiley face or two in my tweets and Facebook posts. It’s a sign of humor. A signal to my recipient(s) that I may be stating something a little tongue in cheek.

Emoticons have become part of the universal lexicon online. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, blogs, you name it, emoticons show up in some way shape or form. Heck, Facebook’s embraced them so much they even have a XXXXX.

But, as more people have used emoticons online (and in texting, where this all started), that has started to spill over into business communications.

We’ve all seen it. An email or note from a colleague with a smiley face at the end. Heck, I’m guilty of it–in spots.

But, does that mean it’s accepted?

Better question: SHOULD it be accepted?

My thought: It depends.

Let me lay out a few scenarios and when I think it is–and isn’t–appropriate in business.

Appropriate uses:

Scenario #1–I’m sending a private message on Facebook to a partner I work closely with on a project. I want to share a funny anecdote as part of the note and include a smiley face at the end of the note.

Scenario #2–I write a tweet that’s light-hearted and poking fun at a mainstream trend for a client I work with (which has a fun and playful personality) that includes a smiley face with a wink at the end.

Scenario #3–I’m sending a text to a business colleague I know well asking him about a potential partner I’m considering. I add a quick joke at the tail-end of the note with a smiley face.

In my view appropriate uses fall into two big camps: 1) When you’re emailing/texting/private messaging someone you know very well in business, or 2) When it makes sense for a brand/company you represent (which has the personality that reflects it).

Inappropriate uses:

Scenario #1: You’re sending an email to your manager discussing client work and you throw a smiley face in as you make a joke about the client.

Scenario #2: You’re writing a short article for your company’s intranet and you decide to insert a smiley face in the post to convey some humor, even though it’s a fairly series topic.

Scenario #3: You’re penning a short email to your client wishing them a great Memorial Day weekend, and you add a smiley face to the end simply out of habit.

In general, I would probably refrain from using the emoticons anytime you’re: 1) Communicating with your manager or boss, 2) Communicating with your client (unless you know them very well), and 3) Communicating with a mass audience–internally or externally–around a serious topic (or communicating in general for brands that are more conservative and serious).

So what do you think? When is it appropriate and inappropriate to use emoticons in the workplace? SHOULD we even be using them in business communication?

Note: Photo courtesy of Christine SugarCravings via FlickR Creative Commons.

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Emoticons for brands: New trend or too spammy? is a post from: Communications Conversations

At first, views and followers were tough to come by. I remember those first few posts. Very few eyeballs. For anyone who’s blogged, this should sound familiar. We all start at zero.

But, as time went on, I learned a few things. I learned what people wanted to read about. I learned a few strategies for attracting new readers. And, I was consistent in my blogging (2-3 posts a week–probably the most important recipe for long-term success). In about a year, I had built up a bit of a readership. See below–almost 3,000 visits as of April 2010 (about a year-and-change into my blogging journey).

But something changed in 2009–I started my business. So suddenly, my blog took on a whole new meaning. It was now my de facto web presence. I wasn’t going to create a web site–why would I? I already had this blog. So, I started to think about my blog a bit differently. It became a new business tool (and I started to invest even more time there). And, as a result, readership grew again. This time, hopping up to nearly 11,000 visitors.

For the next year, things plateued a bit. But, I still gained a few new visitors in the following year.

And then things really began to take off. Between April 2012 and April 2013, I almost doubled the number of visitors to my blog (from almost 12,000 visits per month in 2012 to almost 22,000 visits per month in 2013).

That’s a whopping 659 percent growth in just three years of blogging. If you read this blog with any regularity, you know I don’t toot my horn all that often, but this is one of those accomplishments I’m very proud of.

Blogging is hard work. Ask anyone. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to make this blog a success. But, it’s paid off for me time and time again. In terms of business leads, meeting new people, speaking opportunities. You name it. Blogging has been invaluable to my business–and my life.

So, how did I do it?

I’m not sure I have all the answers–I’m no @ProBlogger, after all. But I can share with you some of what I believe have been some of the key factors in my blog’s rise to 22,000-plus visitors per month.

What would I want to read about?

To a large extent, my target market for my blog is, well, me. So, as I brainstorm many posts I put myself through the “what would I want to read about?” paces. This forces me to think more critically in terms of topics. And it forces me outside the typical “digital churn” that so many bloggers turn out day after day. For example, I wasn’t seeing a lot about the recent Facebook changes earlier this year–and wanted to know more about them. And out came the following post:

Tip: Simply ask yourself “What would I want to read about?” if you were a target reader of your blog. Asking yourself that question will lead to many productive posts.

Focus on posts people will bookmark (and link to)

One of my most popular posts for the last six months has been my “Instagram cheat sheet” post I made on Dec. 11, 2012. My original goal with this post: To create a resource for the community that would get links–and get bookmarked. All of which would help drive search traffic, which has proven to be true. In April, this post had 2,318 page views (my top post). In March, it had 3,493 page views (my second most popular). And in February it had 4,098 (again, my most popular). It continues to drive search traffic every day to my blog–while I do nothing at all. Beautiful.

Tip: Think about content you can contribute that could be a resource for your readers–then think about how to organize it in a blog post.

Spotlight the community (but find the right members)

Early on in my blogging I started a series I’ve continued to this day: The PR Rock Stars series. The goal? To shine the spotlight on some of the true pros pros in our business. My secondary goal? To build a community around this blog that will attract more readers over time. Over the years, I’ve featured 30-plus rock stars as part of this blog. That’s led to an increase in readership since every time I share one of these posts, the rock star inevitably shares it, as do many other people who know the person. And, I typically open up a door to either cement an existing relationship with the rock star–or build a new one, if I don’t know the person all that well (it’s even led to a couple client engagements). And, the best part? It takes less of my time since their answers provide most of the content. But the real trick is to highlight the right people. Sure, I wanted to shine the spotlight on people doing great work. But I also wanted to shine the spotlight on those doing great work who were also active online. There is a difference.

Tip: Don’t just profile any community member–target the ones with larger social followings (or least a sizable following–you don’t have to target the A-listers in your industry).

Write about topics no one else is writing about

In 2010, I wrote a post about how to create knock-your-socks-off presentations using Prezi, a then-new tool in the mix. At that time, few people were blogging about Prezi. I knew that because I did a few simple searches–and anecdotally, I didn’t see many PR/marketing bloggers talking about it. Plus, I was actively using the tool so I had some experience with it. I thought a post on Prezi would be an easy way to rank for a key search term many in my industry might use. I was right. From Jan. 1-May 10, the Prezi post was still my fifth most popular post in 2013–a post I had written THREE years before. That’s the power of writing about a topic no one else is writing about.

Topic: Do searches for keywords around topics you think no one else is writing about to confirm your suspicions.

Utilize list posts (that you haven’t seen before)

List posts. They’re a dime a dozen on the Web. Literally. People say they’re tired of list posts. Yet, the good list posts still work. Case in point: This post I wrote about 15 up-and-coming PR pros to watch in March of 2012. Check out the share numbers–97 retweets, 62 likes and 52 LinkedIn shares. Those are pretty solid sharing numbers for a post on my blog. And, I saw that traction because it wasn’t your garden-variety list post. It wasn’t a list of the “top 20 social media gurus” (which has been done to death by now). It was a list of up-and-coming pros. I didn’t see too many lists like that when I did my research. Plus, the other upside: These were people who don’t usually receive a lot of online accolades, so I had a hunch they’d be more apt to share (unlike the “gurus” like Solis, Brogan, etc. who are recognized day-in and day-out). No, these folks would help drive traffic to the blog. And so would their friends, colleagues and family members.

Tip: Don’t shy away from list posts–but write list posts that you haven’t seen before.

Write about what’s on your mind

One of the smartest decisions I’ve made about how I use my blog has been not to overthink it. Ever since my blog became my de facto business site, there has been a perceived need to use it purely as a new business tool. I remember one friend who once told me: “If you’re blogging about anything other than services and tools you offer as a business, you’re doing it wrong.” I listened to that advice, but promptly dismissed it. Why? Because I believe when people hire me, they hire ME as much as they hire me for my skills. Sure, I post plenty about topics I have services around (social audits, content strategy, marketing strategy, etc.). But, I also post a lot about topics that merely interest me. Or, items I read about in the paper (I recently blogged about the Target CMO, who was featured in a Star Tribune piece recently). Or, just things my family and I are dealing with (like how we cut the cable cord last year–which, incidentally led to a piece on KARE-11 featuring our family; see below). So, I try to post a couple times a month about things that may not even relate to digital marketing, but posts that tell readers a little more about me as a person.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to get personal on your blog. Remember, blogging is a way humans connect with one another. Even if you’re working for a large company.

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How I grew my blog readership 659% in just 3 years (and how you can, too) is a post from: Communications Conversations

Of course, not everyone agrees. My fellow blogger, Adam Singer, recently claimed that LinkedIn was the new Klout. Obviously, he’s referring to the addition of the relatively new “endorsements” feature which allows almost anyone to endorse you for a specific skill (even if they don’t have direct experience with you, which is often the case).

But, Adam’s claim is a valid one–and a concern for many. Has LinkedIn become too spammy? Too much of a platform many try to “game”? A place where too many recruiters and salespeople hang out, making it really tough for the rest of us to cut through the garbage to get to what we really want?

I think it depends on how you use the platform.

For many in Adam’s demographic (and younger), I can see why they might not spend as much time there. LinkedIn is often perceived as an “older” person’s network. And, I have to admit, that’s kinda what I see within my community on LinkedIn, too. But, that doesn’t mean it should be irrelevant for the younger crowd. After all, if the older people are spending time there, aren’t those the hiring managers, influencers and vendor buyers of the marketing/PR/social world?

Personally, I think LinkedIn is a wonderful–and very under-utilized tool–among brands and individuals. I use it to keep tabs on colleagues who don’t hang out on Twitter or Facebook. And, I use it to keep up on comings and goings in the Minneapolis/St. Paul marketing/PR scene, which is very important to my business.

But, some of the new changes LinkedIn has made have me thinking about spending even MORE time on the social network. Here’s why:

Adding mentions to the mix.

By adding mentions to the mix for status updates, LinkedIn is starting to function more like Twitter or Facebook. I don’t see this as a seismic shift for LinkedIn, but it is substantial as you can now see more “discussions” happening in the comments, whereas before that was virtually non-existent. Time will tell if people will really start to treat LinkedIn status updates like a Twitter conversation, but with that audience that doesn’t hang out on Twitter/Facebook, this is a big add.

Contacts provides a better professional rolodex.

Personally, this is my favorite add in recent months–and a big one for anyone who’s struggled to really consolidate their professional rolodex electronically. I know there are other tools you can use to do this, but for me, Contacts seems like a good solution. Let’s look at why:

Consolidate your professional contacts in one spot

Sync from Gmail, Yahoo, and even your iPhone contact database. Obviously, you’re syncing this with your existing LinkedIn connections, so it’s a great way to have everyone you could possibly need professionally in one, easy-to-get-to spot.

Remember professional milestones

LinkedIn will remind you of birthdays and job changes and other significant milestones as they occur–GREAT way to stay in touch with folks as their professional lives change.

Use Contacts as your professional CRM

This is probably the feature that I’ll take advantage of the most. Because LinkedIn now gives you the ability to write notes about your contacts, designate how you met them and set up regular reminders, Contacts can really serve as your de factor CRM for your professional life. I’m really curious to see how many people use this key piece of functionality.

Edit contact info regularly

The contact info Contacts will import from your other sources won’t be perfect, but it should mesh with the existing LinkedIn information to produce some solid data. If that doesn’t work, you can always edit it yourself.

LinkedIn Today/Channels give you another social reader system

I’m going to blog more about this soon, but I really like what LinkedIn is doing with its LinkedIn Today and Channels products (both of which are fairly new). In essence, they’re providing you with another social reader tool–and timing couldn’t be better with Google Reader going away soon. And, in some ways, this reader system is even better since it’s based on your specific interests (channels) and experts in that field (LinkedIn has done some of the hard work for you, even though I’d argue some of their influencers aren’t the ones I’d want to hear from). I’m starting to use this more in my daily content consumption process–worth taking a look at if you’re not using it already.

LinkedIn channels (social media channel shown here) give you the ability to follow certain influencers in that space (Cashmore, LeMeur featured here), and follow content LinkedIn is aggregating from top news sources (Mashable, TechCrunch, etc. for the social media channel).

Take a look at the engagement numbers on this post by Cashmore–pretty incredible, right? Not nearly as big as the share numbers on the Mashable site itself, but these numbers definitely show a decent amount of people are reading these influencer posts on LinkedIn Today/channels.

Like I said, LinkedIn is also aggregating content from different news sources in each channel. Doing the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. For example, in the social media channel, LinkedIn is pulling from Mashable, TechCrunch and Wired.

And here’s how your personal LinkedIn Today will look like once you start following influencers and channels. Again, almost like another social reader system–but this one squarely focused on your professional interests.

So, what do you think? Are the changed LinkedIn has recently made giving you pause to spend more time on the social network? I’d love to hear what you think about this…

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LinkedIn beefs up platform: But will you spend more time there? is a post from: Communications Conversations

Why do we do that?

Why do we lock up our top talent, our leaders in meetings for literally the ENTIRE day?

Here’s my logic:

* These are conceivably your best leaders in your organization–if you lock them up in meetings you take away valuable time they need to stew, noodle, contemplate and THINK.

* These are conceivably your best leaders in your organization–if you lock them up in meetings you rob them of time they need to spend with their teams, you know, LEADING!

* These are conceivably your best leaders in your organization–if you lock them up in meetings you take away time they could be using NETWORKING and meeting with folks outside the organization in an attempt to bring in new IDEAS to bolster their teams.

* These are conceivably your best leaders in your organization–if you lock them up in meetings you inevitably FRUSTRATE them because your robbing them of ALL of the above and they will eventually seek other employment.

If you’ve sat in one of these director/senior roles, does that sound about right?

I understand the need for meetings. I do. Brainstorming. Bringing a team up to speed all at once instead of individually. The reasons are many. But 8 hours of meetings? No one needs that. In fact, I always say that if I ever end up running a marketing department or my own agency at some point, I would NEVER have a meeting longer than one hour.

I mean it. I wouldn’t. If you need to meet, you can do it in an hour. If you can’t, you need to do more work BEFORE the meeting to get to the point where we need to meet.

But, back to the challenge at hand. How do we help these senior leaders escape this conundrum? I have a few ideas:

Block your calendar

Go into your calendar and block it for 2 hours a day EVERY day. Need to start smaller? Block it for 4 hours a day one day a week. Label it however you want. When I tried this, I was honest and labeled it “desk time.” Seemed to do the trick…

Set at least two coffees once a week

This will FORCE you to go outside the office and meet with colleagues, vendors and other “influencers” in our industry. Trust me–it’ll help.

Ask for meeting agendas

You’ll be surprised how this shortens meetings. Ever been to a meeting with an agenda? It’s usually on time. It usually takes less than an hour. Those meetings without agendas? They tend to ramble on forever. Aimlessly, at times. Which sounds better to you?

Run your meetings like an agency would

In one of my former corporate jobs, I sat in a meeting once that probably had upwards of 20 people in it. And, most of them were what I’d consider senior-level employees. If these folks were on the agency side, they’d be billing out at $200 an hour-plus. It was a two-hour meeting. So, by my math, that meeting cost the organization more than $8,000. When inviting people to meetings, keep this math in mind. Even if you work on the corporate side, think about your meetings as if you were on the agency side.

Just a few ideas. What do you think? Have any other ideas to help our senior leaders out? I know they’d appreciate the help.

Note: Photo courtesy of Daniel Greene via FlickR Creative Commons.

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Why do we lock our top talent up in meetings all day? is a post from: Communications Conversations

It’s tough to go 24 hours these days without hearing someone reference the book. Obviously, Sandberg’s a big voice—and personality—in the social world given her role at Facebook. But, she’s also now a big voice in the gender/workforce discussion given this book.

And, most of the discussion I’ve heard has been coming from one side of the gender-based aisle: The female side.

But, I’m here to say this is a pretty good read for men, too.

In fact, I believe Sandberg herself would probably back up that claim in a big way, given her assertions in the book that women need more male supporters and champions (both in the workplace and at home).

As I read through the book (it’s a fast read—just 172 pages not including the exhaustive appendix and acknowledgments), a number of quotes and concepts brought to life why I think the book is really just a great career book for women AND men in PR:

“Done is better than perfect.”

The famous Facebook poster, right? But, I love this quote for so many reasons. For a long time, I’ve made the assumption that completing a project to 80 percent of my satisfaction is “good enough.” Yeah, I strive for 100 percent everyday. But the reality is 100 percent isn’t attaintable every day of every month of every year. So, sometimes 80 percent is good enough. That’s what this quote is getting at—and it’s a key one to keep in mind throughout your career. Don’t try to be perfect. Try for 100 percent—but be OK with 80 percent.

“If you please everybody, you’re not making enough progress.”

Great quote from Mark Zuckerberg, and I think it’s something many people struggle with. Many of us (including me) would classify ourselves as “people pleasers.” We want people to like us, so we work to make them happy (above all else). But, what we should sometimes be focused on is the task at hand. And sometime the task at hand (or making progress, as Zuckerberg says) comes at the cost of others not liking us. We’re going to upset some applecarts along the way. And, we need to be OK with that. Not everyone is going to be happy. And, I think Zuckerberg would actually prefer it that way. But, I think the key here is to have leadership that supports a culture where pushing for progress is not only OK, but it’s also preferred and supported. You won’t get that in every role—and in some you can even help foster that culture. But, othertimes you’ll get push-back, and those are the times where you need to stand strong. You need to push forward.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

Another wonderful quote from Alice Walker in the book. Sandberg was referring to the predisposition of women to relinquish power by not owning up to their accomplishments. But, as I read this quote, I thought: This obviously applies to women AND men (in PR). I mean, I certainly acknowledge that women are probably less prone to promoting themselves in the workplace, but I also know a lot of guys who are a bit too humble and have a tough time trumpeting their own success, too. The key lesson here: Don’t be afraid to stand behind your success. Chances are, you worked your butt off to achieve it. Own it. And take the power that comes with it (just don’t abuse it).

Women apply for jobs only if they meet 100 percent of the criteria—whereas men apply for jobs if they meet 60 percent of the criteria.

This one didn’t surprise me. Here’s why. I have a female friend who I meet with every so often. Recently she’s been looking for a new gig. As she’s been perusing job opportunities, she’ll run them by me every so often. She recently asked for my opinion on a job that was a pretty big leap for her—but one she could definitely handle. But when she looked at the job description, all she saw were skills, capabilities and experience she did NOT have. I said, that’s fine. Apply anyway. After all, these employers sometimes know they won’t get the candidate they’re looking for—they’re just hoping to get 80 percent of the candidate they’re looking for. And, if you don’t apply, there’s a 100 percent chance you won’t be considered. After talking it through, she applied. Now, I don’t know if she got the job yet, but the lesson remains: Apply for the job you want. Even if you don’t meet all the criteria. You never know what the employer is thinking—and you never know where they’re willing to compromise.

“What’s your biggest problem—and how can I help solve it?”

This was a question a job seeker has posed to Sandberg as she was pining for a job at Facebook—and it’s brilliant. Instead of begging and lauding her accomplishments, this job seeker flipped the process on its head. Mrs. Employer: What are YOUR needs and how can I help solve them? Every business has challenges. Needs. Problems. If you can help solve those and make those challenges go away, how valuable do you think that person would be? What a great way to re-frame your job search. And for consultants/agency folks, think about how you can take this approach with new/existing clients. Instead of telling clients what you can do for them—why not start by talking about their challenges (and then talk about how you can help solve them). Truth be told, any consultant who’s NOT taking this approach should seriously re-consider their line of work. My approach has long been to ask the client or would-be client numerous questions before I even say a word in our first.

But obviously the biggest reason more men should be reading this book is the very reasons Sandberg lays out in the book. To succeed in the workplace and at home, women need our help. They need men to help and share the load at home (loved the “We need more men at the table…the kitchen table” quote). And they need men to help out in the workplace–not necessarily as sponsors and mentors, but more as advocates for more women leaders.

Guys in PR (and other fields): Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

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Why “Lean In” is a great read for women AND men (PR pros) is a post from: Communications Conversations

And, you’ve probably read a post or two about the basic elements that should go into that newsroom.

All of that is good.

Except the concept of an “online newsroom” has changed in the last few years.

Media has shifted.

The Web has morphed.

Tools have become more democratized (and plentiful).

Web development has become more “affordable.”

All of which got me to thinking–it’s probably time to update our mental set for what an “online newsroom” should consider in today’s digital age.

So, I went about looking at what the leaders in our industry are doing when it comes to online newsrooms. And, I found a number of interesting developments. Take a peek at  concepts the “next newsrooms” are implementing to connect with media and other publishers and influencers online:

The American Cancer Society

“Next Newsroom” traits: Using multi-media with source information. Love what the American Cancer Society did here featuring a video full of interesting stats and data media/publishers can use in stories and posts (oh, and the video is obviously embeddable since it’s on YouTube).

“Next Newsroom” traits: Featuring blogs on the home page. Might seem obvious, but don’t forget to feature your corporate blogs right on the home page of your online newsroom. In this case, it’s Dr. Len’s Cancer blog and the ACS Pressroom Blog. Full of dynamic content added regularly–good source information for media and publishers. And, a good source of additional story ideas for media perusing your newsroom.

Coca-Cola

“Next Newsroom” traits: Organizing by topic. Coke’s newsroom is incredibly easy to navigate. In large part, that’s thanks to the “search by topic” drop-down menus you find throughout the newsroom. Might seem basic, but I still think this is a “future state” for most online newsrooms.

“Next Newsroom” traits: Organize by text, audio/video and photo assets. Again, Coke makes it uber-easy for you to find what you need when you visit their newsroom. These days, that means more than just news releases though. Think audio, video and images, too. All searchable by topic.

Red Bull

“Next Newsroom” traits: Make the entire newsroom searchable by media type. Red Bull allows you to search the ENTIRE newsroom by media type–right at the top of the page. Search by videos, photos or stories. Simple, but brilliant.

“Next Newsroom” traits: Icons make photos/videos easy to find by story. Note those little icons below each story. Those are signals that show you how many photos and videos each story includes. What a great idea, right? Easy way to quickly find what you need. Just click, download and you’re gone.

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6 elements of the digital newsroom of tomorrow is a post from: Communications Conversations

The article was really focused on Jones–and what moves he’s taken to move the brand forward during his first year.

But, when I read the article, one things stood out to me: How the CMO came into Target and made his mark without upsetting the proverbial apple cart. Jones has a pragmatic approach that I really agree with–and I think it’s relatable to most every leader (from manager all the way to CMO) when they start a new job.

Think about it.

If you are–or have been–a manager, what was one of the toughest parts of your job? Undoubtedly it was the process of coming into the job, winning the trust of your team members and figuring out how to best motivate them and achieve your team’s goals.

Think about what Jones had to deal with at Target–especially following a successful CMO like Michael Francis. Earning trust. Building new relationships. Repairing broken ones. Assessing skill sets on his teams.

These are all challenges every new manager deals with.

So, what can you learn from Jones when it comes to starting a new leadership role? Here’s three quotes from the article I thought were interesting–and what I think they mean for you:

Quote: “If you come into a job and make changes too fast, you’re a bad listener. If you make changes too slowly you’re indecisive. There’s not a recipe on how to guide that.”

What it means for you: Love this quote because it’s all about the art of walking the tigh rope when you come into a new job. My theory has always been to resist the urge to come in, dictate terms and clean house. Instead, why not spend the first few months on the job listening? To your staff. To others that work with your staff. To your boss (whomever that is). Listen for three months, then take action. You’ll have valuable information upon which to make important decisions about your team’s future. That’s what Jones is getting at here.

Quote: “I absolutely felt I had to reach out and build relationships with them that are the same kind of important relationships that merchandising chief Kathy Tesija and I have. That was true three, five years ago. Every day that passes, our worlds get closer.”

What it means for you: In this quote, Jones was referring to forging new relationships with the the heads of digital and mobile at Target, as well as the CIO. These are folks who, in the past, the CMO may have not worked with quite as closely. But in today’s environment, they’re key partners for Jones. So, why not get closer to these folks? Get to know them. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are–and how you can help them achieve those goals, together. This is key to any new manager. Find out who your potential partners are internally at the same level–whether they work in digital, marketing, PR or even areas outside marketing (like IT, product or research). Find those people and make friends with them early on. Those partnerships will most likely pay off–probably sooner rather than later. Seems pretty cliche, I know. But believe me when I say not everyone takes the time to do this–be a relationship-builder.

Quote: “I don’t know if there is a playbook on how to do it. But I have a basic principle. You have go give to get.”

What it means for you: Here Jones is clearly talking about that relationship-building approach we discussed above. His approach–which I love–”give to get.” We know how that plays out online, but in the corporate world it’s just as important. Want that manager you’ve been working with in product to help your team out on a campaign? You gotta think about what you could do to help her first. Want to build a stronger relationship with the head of digital? How can you help his team achieve their goals this quarter? Think through how you can help your managerial brethren and you’ll be surprised how often they repay the “favor.”

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What you can learn about starting your next new job from the Target CMO is a post from: Communications Conversations

I’m going to organize these posts with a Charley Walters-like approach. If you read the Sports section of the Pioneer Press, you know what I’m talking about. If  you don’t, go buy a Pioneer Press

Here goes–first edition. I’ll try to publish this monthly–last week of each month.

I’m quite late to the party on this one, but Katie Miller (formerly of DeVries in NYC), recently moved back to Minny and is now an account director over at Ed Heil’s shop, Storyteller Communications, in Bloomington.

That’s University of St. Thomas senior, Grant Spanier throwing an open house for his agency, LESS Co., this Saturday in St. Paul. He’s a senior in college, folks.

Minneapolis-based Fast Horse is in process of organizing their annual Summer Intern Program. Should be interesting to see who they select, and where those folks end up next (usually a great group of young pros).

That’s Emily Rinde, who was last with GdB, with the new gig as communications associate at Starkey (client).

Yep, that’s Space 150′s Lisa Grimm you’ll see on the cover of Minnesota Business in May.

Minneapolis-based, Padilla Speer Beardsley added some beef to the client roster by adding SAP, Surmodics and Qumu to the mix this spring.

In case you missed it, Andrea Goodall (vice president) and Laura Griffith (account supervisor) were recently awarded promotions over at Risdall PR. Congrats ladies!

Less than a year into starting his own consultancy, Jason Sprenger of Game Changer Communications continues to load up his client roster…

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Inside Conversations: News and chatter in the Minnesota PR and social media scene is a post from: Communications Conversations

The hard copy edition.

Yeah, I know. That seems odd for someone like me, right? But I still have a few traditions I like to hang on to–one of them is reading a hard copy of the paper. I love to do it when I visit my parents or mother-in-law–both of which still receive the paper every day.

So, I thought this would be a good idea. Great way to get the kids reading (eventually), too. For now, it’s good for them to see their parents reading the paper.

So, last Thursday I eagerly subscribed to the Star Tribune and I was promised a first delivery on Saturday, April 20 (this is important later on). I’m guessing they’re not getting that many people like me calling them up ASKING to subscribe to the HARD COPY paper these days (side note: Would be interesting to see what new hard copy sub numbers look like). Many are more interested in the digital edition–they want to read it on their iPad or Android tablet.

I was excited. I was planning when and how I would read the paper each day. I was already looking forward to Sunday when I could spend a decent chunk of the morning reading the paper and sipping coffee as my kids watched shows on Netflix.

But here’s the thing: The paper never came.

Saturday delivery was promised for my first paper. But Saturday morning came and went. No paper.

I called the Strib twice on Saturday, asking where my paper was. “It’ll be there within the hour,” was the response I got from the Strib. But alas, no paper.

Sunday morning came and went. No paper. Two more calls to the Star Tribune. Still no paper. Meanwhile, I saw Sunday papers lying in the doorsteps of my neighbors up and down the street.

OK, Monday I will surely get a paper, right? Nope. Two more calls to the Strib. No paper.

Tuesday? No paper.

Wednesday? Still no paper. But after a few calls, I finally got someone locally to admit they had the wrong address (after I confirmed this EVERY time I called). So, at least we have an answer. And, finally, on Thursday, I had the paper on my doorstep.

But this whole experience (and my venting about it publicly–sorry, all) has outlined for me what might be the real reason hard copy newspapers are failing: An utter lack–or unwillingness–of these newspapers to pay attention to the “customer experience.”

OK, so I’m sure it’s not the *real* reason–but it has to be a contributing factor.

Let’s look at a handful of comments from a post I made on Facebook earlier this week:

And I wasn’t the only one who’s had issues with home delivery (Jason Keath’s comment about the Boston Globe).

Just look at my experience. Much of the excitement I had last week about getting the paper again is now gone.

I’m still eager to get the paper each day–but the Star Tribune forgot about a key part of situation where a person pays money for a product or service: The experience that goes along with that.

My experience, apparently, has become the experience of more than a few receiving a daily newspaper. And it’s sad.

Why? Because clearly the Star Tribune is not thinking through the customer experience of its subscribers (or worse yet, doesn’t care).

It’s not my problem your circulation department isn’t open on Sundays (that’s a claim I heard from my newspaper friends when my paper didn’t come on Saturday or Sunday).

It isn’t my problem you can’t get your network of carriers to get me a paper on time.

And it’s definitely not my problem that you got my zip code wrong even though I confirmed it about 5 times via phone.

On top of all this, I really only got one true apology through this whole deal. And really no “make good” to speak of (giving me two weeks “free” isn’t a huge step, considering you’re trying to rope in a subscriber for life). Instead, why not give me a $50 gift card to Caribou (people drink coffee while reading the paper, right?). Or, how about a phone call from someone local here in Minneapolis just to say “sorry” and that this won’t happen again. And, if it does, what will happen in that case (the people I talked to on the phone were always out of state).

So you tell me, what grade should the Star Tribune get in this situation for customer experience?

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The real reason nobody’s reading hard copy newspapers is a post from: Communications Conversations