Today’s guest post is written by Heidi Cohen. 

Today’s multi-platform, device-indifferent, connected world requires 360 degree branding.

By increasing the value of the products, companies, and people they represent, brands are an essential element of PR.

Whether you’re working with a B2B, B2C, non-profit, or are a solopreneur, the brand must be consistently represented online and off.

Social media and content marketing offer a wide range of media formats beyond text including photographs, videos, audio, presentations, and real life events. As a result, a well-rounded view of your brand often extends beyond an organization or individual’s brand guidelines. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Lisa Gerber.

I wrote the first draft of this post by hand.

I’m trying something new: I’m going to occasionally step away from the devices, limit distractions, and reflect.

This is much easier said than done and I”ll explain why in a minute.

But first, the reason for this little epiphany: Candy Chang spoke last week at Counselors Academy in New Orleans. Some of you know this is my absolute must attend conference. Candy was the keynote the last day and honestly, I had pretty low expectations for the session. Continue Reading »

A few weeks ago, I came across an OpEd by Ann Patchett. It was in the New York Times and she was lamenting the fact there was no Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction this year.

Before I go on, let me be clear I also think it’s a shame there were three finalists, but no Pulitzer Prize winner, too.

But the OpEd read like sour grapes to me.

When this blog gained a little bit of popularity, we began to have internal conversations about the type of content we should be writing. You see, what I consider the “smart” posts are never the ones that get shared a lot. Sure, people read them, but not as many comment nor share on their social networks.

The ones that do get a lot of comments and shares? The top 10 this or the such and such is dead. Continue Reading »

My dear friend Carmen Benitez sent a story to me a couple of weeks and I’ve had to take that long to really absorb it.

You see, it’s about algorithms becoming better storytellers than journalists, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

A couple of months ago, I was speaking to a group of business leaders. One of the attendees told me he pays $50 a day to an Indian firm to have them scrape content off the Internet and change it “a little bit” so he can post it on his own blog. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Mark Story. 

Recently, Fast Company ran an article called “The Verbal Tic Of Doom: Why The ’Vocal Fry’ Is Killing Your Job Search,” by Craig Chappelow.

The premise of the article is this: Craig’s organization, the Center for Creative Leadership of Greensboro, N.C., was hiring for “a position that involved a high degree of interaction with senior executive clients, so we were looking for someone with the skills and experience to operate at that level.”

And the recruitment process rolled along.

Craig’s colleagues at the Center winnowed down a list of resumes to three and presented them to him for phone interviews. His first candidate seemed “like a perfect match of background and experience” on paper. So he called her. Turns out that she was not a perfect fit in Craig’s eyes. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Lucretia Pruitt. 

I was recently asked what I considered to be my strongest business skill.

No, I wasn’t interviewing for a job (which was the last time I was asked that question years ago). It was just one of those side conversations.

I didn’t expect it to become important, but sometimes these things linger until you have to explore them further.

I replied glibly with “I translate things well.”

In hindsight? Brevity is not always the soul of wit unless you’re Shakespeare. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Elissa Freeman. 

Shhhh. Can you hear it? It’s the sound of yet another corporate giant falling to its knees after a tidal wave of social media criticism.

Corporate capitulation is happening with frightening regularity these days. We no longer look at the Fortune 500 as impenetrable monoliths; instead, they now appear as dominoes ready to topple at the first flick of public outcry via the Twitterverse.

When do ‘we the people’ stop having a point? And when do we as communicators stop listening to it?

Are we counseling our clients/organizations to respond because it’s the right thing to do or are we being bullied into it via the blogosphere? Continue Reading »

I don’t know why the new service from Cision makes me want to play hide and seek. Perhaps because it’s named Seek or Shout? It makes me all juvenile.

But the service itself is not juvenile (apparently that’s just me).

For those of you who have been in the PR industry a long time, you likely know HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, created by Peter Shankman and then sold to Vocus in 2010.

Well, now Cision has a similar service, but it’s for journalists, bloggers, and PR pros. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Molli Megasko. 

I love 60 Minutes just as much as my grandma does, but unlike my grandma I’m only 28.  So you can imagine my distress when they aired a segment on the Millennial generation shown in an unfavorable light.

This is my generation they are talking about and I am upset about their generalization.

According to them, we are selfish, sheltered, spoiled, coddled by our parents, and ill-prepared for a demanding workplace.  The episode goes on to some extreme examples of moms calling bosses to talk about their kids’ annual review and organizations changing their management style to fit the “emotional needs” of people my age.

Yes, I had a rocky first year of work out of school. It was not filled with my most proud professional moments. But I’ve spoken with many Baby Boomers who have told me they to have felt unprepared for their first jobs.  So why the harsh perceptions?  Continue Reading »

I would be remiss if I didn’t blog about the PR nightmare Walmart has caused itself by allegedly covering up the bribes they paid Mexican officials in exchange for getting building permits faster and other favors to help it aggressively expand in the region.

Late last week the New York Times revealed a Walmart attorney received an alarming email from a former executive at the company’s Mexico subsidiary, which described how the company had orchestrated a campaign of bribery in order to win market share. The problem? This happened in 2005.

That same year, the attorney dispatched a committee to Mexico City and found, yes indeed, there was suspicion both Mexican and U.S. laws had been broken. The lead investigator at the time recommended Walmart continue the investigation to confirm suspicions.

Instead, Walmart shut it down.

The campaign of bribery isn’t the PR crisis…it’s in how it was handled. Rather, in how it was not handled. Continue Reading »