This was first published in the August issue of Franchise Times. As a consumer, I am a big fan of Einstein Bagels (give me a honey-whole-wheat with honey almond any day), so it makes sense that I would “like” them on Facebook. Even though I am a fan and although I see them in my stream, I didn’t really pay attention (not even for the free ... Read More

Is your social media marketing strategy geared toward growing your sales or building your brand? Or are you trying to achieve both? Previous posts of mine about getting more comments on your blog and content versus conversation have engendered debate in the form of blog posts and comments regarding the value of conversation and community in comparison to lead generation and bottom line outcomes. While I’m ... Read More

On Saturday, I was relegated to the trainer because it was pouring rain at our normal team ride start time. I had to do sprint intervals, which aren’t fun outside, let alone on the trainer, and I was not looking forward to being stuck for nearly two hours.  I was catching up on podcasts and half watching The Food Network, when Mitch Joel’s interview with Mark ... Read More

Video blog day brings a question outside of the PR industry! Karl Rectanus asks, “We invest time, talent and treasure in traditional and social media; what are the best metrics or measurement tools for knowing if we’re getting ROI?” My answer is here (along with trying to figure out where is the pea puree on Top Chef)…which metrics and tools are you using? (If you’re viewing ... Read More

Guest post by Karen Altes, manager of outreach programs for the Institute of Real Estate Management. A few years ago, as manager of the student outreach program for a trade association, I suggested that if we really wanted to reach college students we needed to be on Facebook. I now run the association’s Facebook fan page, Twitter feed, YouTube channel, and LinkedIn group, and I have learned the ... Read More

I was chatting with a friend last week who told me he didn’t enjoy Spin Sucks as much these days. He said it used to be much more intimate and now we have different voices from people he doesn’t know so it’s hard for him to care. He said, for him, it’s just more online noise. That got my attention. More online noise. While the goal ... Read More

Guest post by Sharon Cain, managing director of Quest PR. Compared to PR pros, are journalists quicker to adapt and embrace the wealth of opportunities that our vibrant new world of social media presents? The dramatic evolution that journalism and PR have undergone since I was haring around the UK living on caffeine, adrenaline, and deadlines as an on-screen Sky TV reporter has been reinforced in ... Read More

Guest post by Thomas R. Fox, principal of tomfoxlaw.com. As a solo professional or small business owner, how can you create a footprint with little to no marketing budget? In today’s social media world, the answer is quite a bit. Following is my social media success story. I am a lawyer who was trying to develop a solo practice focusing on the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices ... Read More