Best Practices
Do you need to think inside or outside the box?
A phrase that is used a lot in business is “Think outside the box.” The phrase is usually meant to encourage creative problem solving. While I’m all for using creativity to solve problems in business, the trouble can come when you think you need to come up with new ideas all the time. The “box”…
Read MoreMaking the most of Zoom
Thanks to the coronavirus, Zoom and other video-conference calls are a common occurrence and seeing yourself on a monitor can evoke feelings ranging from “Is my face really that pale?” to “Yikes, the camera really does add 10 pounds!” The good news is, you don’t have to resort to tanning sessions or extreme dieting to…
Read MoreNavigating Remote Work.
The coronavirus lock-down has led to many changes. Eating in restaurants has been severely curtailed. Gathering with friends and loved ones at each other’s homes in large numbers is a no-no. Handshakes and kisses, forget about it. Of course, the biggest change is the growth in remote work. My associate and I have been working…
Read MoreFreedom of Speech, Not Freedom from Consequences
October 19-25 is set aside as Free Speech Week. It was started in 2005 as a way to raise awareness of the importance of both freedom of speech and of the press in a democracy. Of course, there are many who say that freedom of speech is being curtailed in 2020 with social media sites…
Read MoreBusiness Goes On—Even In A Pandemic
To say that the coronavirus has brought about change is an understatement. Businesses big and small have had to re-adjust to working remotely and reaching out to their customers at a time when normal routines have been upended. Still, how did they manage to do it without sounding opportunistic? Wheaton College, a liberal arts college…
Read MoreHow should you use social media?
Social media is not just for teens, tweens and millennials. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and SnapChat can be appropriate for many types of businesses, as they allow for two-way communication with your customers. Social media also provides you with the opportunity to share visual elements of your business with photos and/or videos…
Read MoreThe only thing that stays the same is that things are always changing
For many years, we were advised to avoid butter, salt, cholesterol, fats and sugar. Now, some of these products are ok to have in moderation. Technology There was a time when business had to be conducted in an office away from home. Now with computers, smart phones and the Internet, business can be conducted anywhere.…
Read MorePut your email signature to work for your business and your brand
I loved this article from Hubspot by Sophia Bernazzani entitled, “Clever Ways Your Email Signature Can Support Your Marketing.” It made me think about what else I can be doing with my email signature to promote my brand and my business that I am not already doing. For example, I have links to my website…
Read MoreThe rise of ephemeral content and how it could benefit your business today
Contributed by guest blogger: Connor Cigrang While ephemeral is still a relatively new concept it has certainly made its mark in the digital world. Ephemeral content is simply digital media that is only viewable for a limited amount of time, typically 24 hours. The rise of Snapchat and Instagram Live has brought this form of…
Read MoreWhat can we learn from some of the biggest PR gaffes of 2017 and 2018?
Public Relations is a huge part of the current business model. It is the cornerstone of how businesses communicate with their target audiences through mass media. Today we will take a look at some of the biggest PR mistakes made in 2017 and 2018. Probably the most well-known mistake last year was United Airlines’ forceful…
Read MoreHow Not to Cause Death by PowerPoint
Public speaking is a great way to build credibility with your target audiences, whether they are customers/clients, prospects or even referral sources. If you are like me, you find it helpful to have slides to refer to in your presentation. I am not an “off the cuff” kind of girl! One of the easiest platforms…
Read MoreTake Time To Smell The Roses
My associate once worked in the development department of a healthcare system and her department was next door to the finance department. One day someone in the finance department commented to her and her boss, “I don’t know how you two do it, writing all that stuff and planning all those events.” “Well,” her boss…
Read MoreNavigating the Not-So Friendly Skies
To say that United Airlines looked bad after the fiasco with the passenger who refused to get off a plane to make room for United employees is an understatement. Just two weeks before, there was an incident were two girls who were barred from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggings. Granted, the unexpected…
Read MoreAdvice to Entrepreneurs from Entrepreneurs
As any business owner knows, running a business isn’t easy. There are a million-and-one things to do and for small businesses in particular, there may only be one person to do them, namely the business owner. Still, it is important to learn how other entrepreneurs meet the challenges in their respective businesses. Recently, I was…
Read MoreRio Fails PR For Olympics 2016
Don’t Let Viral Media Control Your Public Image Emergency responders made their message clear to 2016 Olympic visitors: “Welcome to Hell”. The sign that went viral during the Rio Olympic Games was not the only message that prompted visitors to leave. As the Zika virus caused athletes to withdraw from the games, the city lost…
Read More