A month or so ago, Brett Duncan of Marketing In Progress started compiling marketing ideas “that will make a huge difference to entrepreneurs in 2011.” The result is a fantastic e-book that Brett is sharing for free (!) and features 33 different authors with practical advice and through-starters. Thanks to Brett for including my thoughts on Localized Social Media (see page 41)!
On February 15, Brigid Sweeney of Crain’s Chicago Business will lead a unique discussion with industry leaders, who will share unprecedented tips and insights about how to market yourself and tell your own powerful story in this job market. Gain exposure to the advice and coaching often given to c-level executives about planning your career and leading teams. Also learn more about jobs and opportunities in the PR and Communications fields in the new year.
Speakers:
Mary Herrmann, Managing Director, Executive Coaching, BPI Group, a leading global management and human resources consulting firm
Karen Bloom, Principal of Bloom, Gross & Associates, a leading executive search firm with unique specialties in marketing and communications
WHEN
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 North Clark Street
Chicago
Sponsored by KemperLesnik
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I’m pleased to be part of an upcoming free webinar with some smart marketers in the franchise industry. And, this is your invitation to join us for free! On Tuesday, February 8th, Engage121 is hosting a free online panel discussion called Social Media Marketing for Franchises: Approaches to Making it Work. Panelists include:
AK Stout: Founder, Saying It Social
Bill James: CEO, We Engage LLC
Jack Monson: Vice President, Engage121
Tammy Nienaber: Communications Director, Great Clips, Inc.
Thomas Scott: CEO, Brand Journalists
Moderated by: Nick Perold, Marketing Manager, Engage121
See below for more details and click register to reserve your spot. This is highly recommended for Franchisors, CMOs, Marketing Directors, PR Execs, and Social Media Managers and will be a terrific lead-in to more marketing conversations at this year’s IFA Conference.
Title: Social Media Marketing for Franchises
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
Cost: Free
The franchisor-franchisee relationship is a unique one – combining oversight and support. As a result, when it comes to marketing and promotion, franchisors and franchisees often find themselves asking “whose responsibility is this?” – and the answers are different for every system. Join Engage121 for a webinar on February 8th as we host a panel of franchise industry experts who will present different approaches to making social media marketing work for franchisors and franchisees alike. We’ll spend an hour discussing topics and answering questions from the audience such as:
– Should franchisees operate their own Facebook pages?
– Is social media marketing covered by the national ad fund?
– How do brands protect brand guidelines on the social web?
– Can franchisees opt-out of (or into) social media promotions?
Social Media is a means to give your brand a voice, put a face on your corporation, and give consumers “someone” to engage. Remember, people don’t buy from companies; they buy from people.
Nowhere is the opportunity greater than in the Franchise Industry, where even the biggest global brand is represented by a local business owner (and many times literally mom n’ pop)! The explosive growth of social media platforms means most of your potential customers are now reachable. Smart franchise systems are reaching those customers by empowering their franchisees with training and tools to be that local voice, face, and identifiable part of the community.
And, last but certainly not least, a social media plan and tools will give your franchise sales team a boost by presenting franchise candidates with an attractive – and affordable – benefit to selecting your system above others. The very fact that you have a plan of attack in social media may a deal-maker for some potential franchisees.
If you’re in franchising, I hope to see you at the 51st Annual International Franchise Association Convention . Perhaps we can continue this discussion!
I have organized a Tweetup at the IFA show with Deb Evans, Matt Haller, and my colleagues from Engage121. If you’re attending, please join us on Sunday evening. Here are the details: http://tweetvite.com/event/ifa
PRSA Chicago kicked off the 2011 Programs with a packed house and 5 senior PR industry leaders predicting a year of growth in many areas of the PR industry.
The panel included Scott Farrell, President, GolinHarris; Doug Tillett, Vice President of Public Affairs, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Dr. David Kamerer, Asst. Professor, Loyola School of Communications; Steve Wilson, Managing Director – Digital Strategy, Headstand Media; and as moderator, Ann Brinkman, Executive Director, Alpha Phi Foundation.
My 3 favorite predictions from this panel:
1. Resurgence in the “corporate brand” versus the “product brand” (Farrell)
2. More social media demand for experts, i.e. platforms like Quora (Kamerer)
3. Top-read blogs will continue to grow longer: 1000+ words, as opposed to 400 words (Wilson)
Coming in February from PRSA:
On Tuesday, February 15, Brigid Sweeney of Crain’s Chicago Business will lead a discussion with industry leaders, who will share tips and insights about how to market yourself and tell your own powerful story in this job market. Additional speakers include Mary Herrmann, Managing Director, Executive Coaching, BPI Group, and Karen Bloom, Principal of Bloom, Gross & Associates.
This looks like another terrific event from PRSA Chicago! Please check out the description below and I hope to see you there!
PRSA Chicago presents: “Predictions for 2011 — Senior Leaders Discuss What’s Ahead for our Industry”
Mark your calendars and join PRSA Chicago for our annual predictions panel, which will convene industry leaders to share their thought-provoking views on what’s ahead in 2011 for PR. Once again, we have a diverse, senior-level panel to talk about everything from social media to the economy and what the c-suite wants from communications leadership. Join us … And join the discussion!
Panelists include:
*Ellen Ryan Mardkis, Vice Chair, Golin Harris
*Doug Tillett, Vice President of Public Affairs, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
*Dr. David Kamerer, Asst. Professor, Loyola School of Communications
*Steve Wilson, Managing Director – Digital Strategy, Headstand Media
The panel will be moderated by Ann Brinkman, Executive Director, Alpha Phi Foundation
Please check out Social Geek Radio this Thursday night at 9pm ET / 8pm CT. I am thrilled to be the guest on the show’s first episode of 2011!
The show is co-hosted by Deb Evans and brand new co-host AK Stout and focuses on the use of social technologies and connecting with others via various social platforms.
You can join us live or catch the stream afterwards here. Or you may pick it up on iTunes here.
For the holidays, here’s a change from discussing Social Media Marketing and PR this week. Let’s talk tunes!
Here’s my list of the best Christmas songs of the Modern Rock Era, which I’m defining as roughly the mid- 1970s through the early 2000s. You will find no Perry Como, Andy Williams, or Bing Crosby here (wait, we do have some Crosby….see #2…) I would love to hear your thoughts on these and others!
10. Squeeze – “Christmas Day” (1979)
9. Captain Sensible – “One Christmas Catalogue” (1984)
8. Slade – “Merry Xmas Everybody” (1973)
7. Weird Al – “Christmas At Ground Zero” (1986)
6. Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” (2001)
5. Pretenders – “2000 Miles” (1983)
4. The Kinks – “Father Christmas” (1977)
3. Band Aid – “Do The Know It’s Christmas” (1984)
2. David Bowie and Bing Crosby – “Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth” (Recorded / Originally Broadcast 1977; Released 1982)
1. The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl – “Fairytale of New York” (1987)
Much has been written about the similarities between the Hippie counter-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and the current Social Media culture or subculture. I tend to ignore the love-fest similarities, and focus on one important shared trait: both movements take away the power of mediating institutions.
The most powerful and influential voices of that generation didn’t just work around the system, but also worked with and through the system. The same can be said about Public Relations professionals who should be the thought leaders for Social Media marketing for brands.
Unfortunately at most organizations, consumer engagement via Social Media is not the responsibility of PR or Communications. And those folks may be the most qualified. Here’s why:
Public Relations = Relate to the Public!
PR has for too long been a misnomer for media relations. PR should be involved in Social Media, directly engaging consumers without media involvement, as well as working with (and coordinating information for) that particular intermediary.
Are consumers’ questions, reviews, and opinions so different than those of journalists? Not anymore. The same people charged with messaging for the media should be the ones delivering messages to consumers in order to preserve consistency.
PR Pros have the chops
Old-school PR – or even publicity – agents spent much of their time pitching the same handful of journalists year after year. However, the fragmentation of traditional media and the erosion of journalists’ jobs forced PR pros to sharpen their skills when communicating to thousands of individuals of all types.
Social Media is not advertising
Engagement means earning, not buying, attention. Big sales and special deals become more noise for consumers to ignore. What’s needed is great story-telling, the specialty of a PR pro!
On December 8, 1980, a major news story broke in the middle of a Monday evening. There was no Social Media, no Internet, and no 24 hour cable news networks.
How did most of America hear the news? Via Howard Cosell.
Cosell was broadcasting ABC’s Monday Night Football and broke in with an unforgettable announcement:
“AN UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY…JOHN LENNON…SHOT TWICE IN THE BACK…DEAD ON ARRIVAL.”
Check it out here
Social Geek Blog 