Why companies need to give up promoting useless holidays on Facebook
Should companies give up promoting holidays o…
Posted 22 hours ago

It all started with this.

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…

Should companies give up promoting holidays o…
Emoticons for brands: New trend or too spammy?
Emoticons for brands: New trend or too spammy…
Posted 2 days ago

Are you a serial emoticon-er?

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…

Emoticons for brands: New trend or too spammy…
How I grew my blog 659% in just 3 years
How I grew my blog readership 659% in just 3 …
Posted 6 days ago

I started blogging in December 2008. At the time I was working for Fairview, the second-largest health care system in Minnesota. At the time, I wasn't working in digital marketing--I…

How I grew my blog readership 659% in just 3 …
LinkedIn beefs up platform–but, does it matter?
LinkedIn beefs up platform: But will you spen…
Posted 8 days ago

Quietly (very quietly) LinkedIn has been beefing up its platform lately. Sure, you read all about the numerous changes Facebook makes to its platform. Or, the advertising tools Twitter is…

LinkedIn beefs up platform: But will you spen…
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8. May 2013

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Why do we lock our top talent up in meetings all day?

When I worked on the corporate side, I sat in my fair share of meetings. On average, probably about 3-4 hours a day–half my day. But, that was nothing compared to my boss and my bosses boss. They routinely spent their entire day (probably save an hour here or there) in a room talking to [...]

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7. May 2013

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Why “Lean In” is a great read for women AND men (PR pros)

Last week, my wife and I started a two-person book club (the things you do in the name of marriage). Up first: Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In. 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, [...]

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2. May 2013

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6 elements of the digital newsroom of tomorrow

If you’ve worked in PR long enough, you’ve probably helped a client or employer revamp (or create) an online newsroom. It’s one of the staples of our profession. 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 [...]

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30. April 2013

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What you can learn about starting your next new job from the Target CMO

In the Sunday edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, I read an article about Target’s new CMO, Jeff Jones, and what he’s doing to make his mark for the retail giant. 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 [...]

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29. April 2013

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Inside Conversations: News and chatter in the Minnesota PR and social media scene

I’m starting a new series with this post: Inside Conversations. The idea? To report out on all the comings, goings, new business and other kinds of “scuttlebutt” (for lack of a better term) in the local Minneapolis/St. Paul PR and social media worlds (If you don’t live in Minnesota, don’t worry–I’m only posting this series [...]

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26. April 2013

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The real reason nobody’s reading hard copy newspapers

Last week, I made a big decision for our family: We were going to subscribe to the daily Minneapolis Star Tribune. 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 [...]

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24. April 2013

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Join us for the second-ever Minnesota HAPPO Hour on May 2

Two years ago we held our first-ever live, “HAPPO Hour” series of events across the country. 10-plus markets held live HAPPO networking events on the same day in February, 2011. And now this year, we’re doing it again. We’re holding events in a few places across the country, including San Diego. Here in Minnesota, I’m [...]

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22. April 2013

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18 traits of the new digital American family

My wife and I have taken to watching Mad Men recently. We’re only on season 2 and still catching up, but watching ad men and families in the 50s and 60s has really been pretty interesting. The clothes. The culture. The booze. Oh, the booze. But, it also got me thinking about something else: We [...]

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18. April 2013

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How companies are using Instagram as a recruiting tool

Over the last couple years, there have been many posts written about companies using Instagram as a marketing tool to raise brand awareness, drive leads, even increase in-store or online sales. But there haven’t been a lot of posts talking about how companies are using Instagram to recruit and retain employees. But that’s exactly what [...]

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16. April 2013

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Dear fellow PR/marketing/social media consultants: We need to do better

Last week, Ragan published a study around the current state of social media teams and client expectations around social, in a general sense. I know we need to take surveys like this worth a grain of salt. But, as I looked at the stats, one thought kept popping in my head: We, as PR/marketing/social media [...]

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