You know how you plan and plan and plan for something so things fall into place one big event at a time and then it never goes that way?

Kind of like when you get married and suddenly you’re also moving to a new city, buying a new house, and starting a new job. Lots of changes at once that, if handled separately, aren’t so overwhelming.

Well, it turns out nothing ever goes according to plan.

We were supposed to launch Spin Sucks Pro last year (still in private beta), then Marketing in the Round was to come out, then my speaking was to pick up so our business development increased substantially, and then we’d create a partnership to give us international capabilities.

Well, it turns out all of that is destined to happen at once instead over a two year period, as planned.

The partnership to give us international capabilities? It’s happening now!

We have created a partnership with Thornley Fallis in order to expand our reach to Canada and the U.K., as well as give us the resources to do video and design and development. Continue Reading »

Today’s #FollowFriday needs no introduction. And I’m cheating a little bit because I wrote about her this time last year.

But it’s her birthday today so I figured you wouldn’t mind.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA!!

Lisa Gerber is our chief content officer. She runs all of the guest posts here at Spin Sucks, which is no small job. She also began doing client work in January and now leads three of our biggest accounts.

About 18 months ago, I was shopping at Nordstrom (and then Sephora) and I called Lisa. I was venting that I needed some help with content on both Spin Sucks and this new project I wanted to launch (which you now know as Spin Sucks Pro). I told her I needed someone who I really trusted. As I stood on the corner of Michigan and Grand, in the dark, she said, “I’ll do it.” Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

This week, we had a plethora of questions, but only one of them was coherent (Jennifer MacDonald).

So I thought it would be fun to address Jen’s question later (in a serious video) and address all of the goofy ones at once today.

Yes, we talk Super Bowl commercials, angels, LaToya Jackson, my new favorite shirt from Frank and Eileen, and even Ken Mueller gets a mention even though he forgot his question (try again next week, Ken!).

Alright. Let’s start with the questions. Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

I know you missed me, even though Molli Megasko got TONS of kudos on her video last week. Don’t worry. She’ll be back. She was forewarned this morning.

This week’s question comes from Rajka Milanovic Galbraith. She asks: Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is by Molli Megasko.

It’s Facebook question of the week time.

I hope I don’t disappoint anyone, but I’m replacing Gini Dietrich this week.  She asked me to help her out as she actually is taking some vacation days, believe it or not.

Her question to me was…

“Molli, you’ve worked at Arment Dietrich for nearly six years. During those six years, what are the top three accomplishments you’ve seen the firm achieve?” Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

This week, I have a little contest for you. During the video, I show you the view from my hotel room.

The first person to correctly guess where I am will receive a free copy of No Bullshit Social Media by Jason Falls and Erik Deckers.

And, as an extra bonus, if you not only name the city, but the exact hotel where I’m staying, you’ll win an Arment Dietrich Rabbit wine opener.

No cheating. And my team is not allowed to participate. Or tell anyone where I am.

I repeat. NO. CHEATING.

On to the question at hand. Continue Reading »

That’s right! It’s that time again. Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

This week we’re talking online monitoring, measuring results, some elbow grease, and marketing expertise.

Rusty Speidel, a friend I met on Twitter who later became a close offline friend (mostly because we both road bike), has been giving me a hard time about measuring results.

He thinks marketing expertise and elbow grease aren’t enough for most, because most people aren’t analytics nerds like I am.

So he challenged me to the following question: Continue Reading »

I can hear the wind blowing outside and it sounds like it’s really cold. So I’m pulling together this blog post in bed.

I don’t want to get up!

In some places in the country, wind like this is called a tornado or a hurricane. In Chicago? It’s just par for the course. It is, after all, the Windy City.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have Facebook question of the week (clap, clap, clap)! Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

Sorry, John Trader…I can’t seem to get the whistle down.

This week’s question comes from Christina Pappas, the author of The Content Cocktail, about producing videos and how I do them.

She asks: Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap!).

A few housekeeping things first.

If you’re going to PRSA this weekend/next week, leave me a comment so I can say hi!

And, Inside PR (Martin Waxman, Joe Thornley, and I) are hosting a TweetUp on Monday night. If you RSVP online, the first drink is on us!

We’re also going to be doing lots of interviews for the podcast. Achieve your 15 minutes of fame AND a free drink. On us. Well, the free drink is on us for sure.

And now…the question. Continue Reading »