Best Practices for LinkedIn Groups

I’m a long-time fan of LinkedIn, and LinkedIn Groups, particularly for B2B marketing. I’ve used LinkedIn and groups for myself and for my clients whose goals generally include building credibility and establishing thought leadership status. A business contact recently asked me what my “top tips” would be for participating in LinkedIn and, particularly, for participation in LinkedIn Groups–one of the big benefits of this social media platform in my opinion.

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The First Tweets of Top Social Media Influencers

I learned recently that there’s a quick and easy way to find the first tweet of anyone who has been engaged with Twitter. You just go to this link and enter in the @username of someone and you’ll see there first post — aka tweet.

My first tweet for @StratCommun was on October 1, 2009 – wow! That surprised me. I know I’ve been engaged for some time, but didn’t realize exactly how long. Time flies, as they say (pun intended).
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SEO: Optimizing for the “right” words and phrases–those that drive real results!

If you Google the term “strategic communications” my company — Strategic Communications — is likely to show up on the first page of the results you see. Great, right? Well, not necessarily. But, the fact that it does, and the results that I see, have provided me with some key insights into the types of words and phrases that I, and my clients, should be optimizing for.  Continue reading “SEO: Optimizing for the “right” words and phrases–those that drive real results!”

CEOs and Social Media: Getting the Boss on Board

Socializing Your CEO, a report released by Weber Shandwick, indicates that only 18% of the CEOs of the largest companies in the world have their own social network pages-a 2% increase from the 2010 report. It would appear that CEOs are simply not jumping on the social media bandwagon, at least not personally. Don’t believe it? Do a quick search on LinkedIn, arguably the most “professional” of the various social media channels, and see how many CEOs you find.

You’ll find some, but they don’t represent the CEOs of the Fortune 500 — or even 1000. Most, like me, are CEOs of their own small firms or consultancies.

So, what gives? Continue reading “CEOs and Social Media: Getting the Boss on Board”

Yes, the C-suite is concerned about ROI — communicators should be too!

I’ve been speaking and writing a lot about how communicators can do a better job of connecting with C-suite leaders to get traction for their ideas and proposals. Most recently, I presented a webinar for Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media and Ragan Communications on How to Talk Social Media to Your Hospital C-Suite. I also wrote a series of articles on the topic for IABC’s Communication World earlier this year. And I have a presentation coming up in May for Health Leaders Media.

Much of my work and research has been around issues related to social media but, in truth,
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How Should You Measure Your Social Media Activity?

We work with clients regularly to help them evaluate or establish various channels of online communication with their key audiences. Social media is obviously often part of the process we use in helping them connect with these audiences. Often, but not always. When it is, just as with any other form of communication, one thing we want to establish right up front is a means of measuring the value of this activity.  Continue reading “How Should You Measure Your Social Media Activity?”

Why You Should Be on Google+

Google+ is one of those relatively new social media tools that puzzles many, myself included. I’ve checked it out, dabbled with both a personal profile and a business page, deleted both, and started all over again. I have a few people in my circles and some people have me in theirs (many who are absolute strangers to me).

Recently, though, I had one of those “a ha!” moments about Google+ and why, for just about anybody hoping to be “discovered” online, it’s a must-use tool.

Here’s the thing: Continue reading “Why You Should Be on Google+”

Do You Believe Everything You Read?

By now, just about everybody is aware that the news industry has been impacted dramatically by the ability of consumers to seek–and even generate–news themselves through a variety of online resources that may include their own blogs and social media accounts. When breaking news occurs, it is often shared first online where it grows and spreads exponentially. The problem is: it’s not always accurate! Continue reading “Do You Believe Everything You Read?”

Is It Time to Update Your Web Site?

Web sites have become a “must have” for businesses of any size, in any industry or geographic location. In fact, to a large degree, if you don’t have a web site, you don’t exist. When potential customers are looking for products or services they are very likely these days to turn to the Internet and do a search. If your business doesn’t come up in their search efforts, you’re not likely to be part of their consideration set. Continue reading “Is It Time to Update Your Web Site?”