Archive for November, 2010

Conversations With Individuals Not Organizations–Are You More Likely to Follow Your Hospital or Your Doctor?

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

The American Medical Association recently issued some guidelines for physicians on the use of social media. As a former director of corporate communications in a large, health care organization, I think these guidelines are much needed and, in my “old role” I would have worked hard to keep our providers from independently using social media to communicate with patients.

But, my role has changed. Today, (more…)

If a Tweet Falls in a Forest…

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

I’ve long had the feeling that much of what I (and others) tweet about is like the old saw about a tree falling in the forest. Is anybody there when I tweet and, even if they are, are they paying attention?

Well, recent research done by Sysomos indicates that 71 percent of the 1.2 billion tweets they reviewed over a two-month period produced (more…)

Different Strokes For “Special Folks”? Good Idea or Bad Promotional Move?

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Look up the phrase “new customers only” on Google and you’ll turn up more than 38,000,000 results.  Look up “existing customer deals” and you’ll find 19,000. It comes as no surprise that companies often turn to special incentives when trying to lure new customers to their fold. Chances are, most of us have even taken advantage of those deals from time to time. But, when you’re an *existing* customer (more…)

Which Department “Owns” Social Media?

Friday, November 12th, 2010

I participate in a number of online forums that cover various communication issues and a question that invariably comes up is “what department should ‘own’ social media”?

It’s a legitimate question and, as a former corporate communication/marketing director, I definitely “get” turf wars. But, while I tend to believe that all organizational communication should be managed through a single channel to ensure consistency and effective brand management, “owning” social media (more…)

If You Can’t Be Found Online, Are You “For Real”?

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

I recently had an editor I work with ask about a source’s credentials because she couldn’t find her online. And I’ll admit that my first thought was also “Oh oh – weird!” But then I recalled a “back of the brain” feeling I’ve had for a while now about all of the valuable information and sources that I–and others–may be missing because we rely so exclusively on online content.

If you can’t be found online, are you important? Are you *credible*? Do you even exist? I think maybe  not… (more…)

You Can’t Compartmentalize Results!

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

In a recent post I talked about an “aha moment” I had. It’s one that has impacted how I think about my own business. When I started my business about two years ago, I was hoping to work with clients to help them develop strategic marketing communication plans to move their businesses forward. I’m a *HUGE* proponent of planning and think that effective planning can avoid unnecessary effort and expense–and increase results.

But, not everyone believes this. I found that, just as when I was in the “corporate world,” (more…)

What Makes Information Worth Paying For? An “Aha!” Moment!

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

I just finished a complicated, but very interesting, article for an information industry publication about security and identity issues for content owners. Once I was able to get past all of the confusing terminology and “IT-speak” (which took me several interviews and multiple reviews and re-reviews of my notes, not to mention “sleeping on it” for several nights…) some key themes began to emerge. Ultimately (I think…) I pulled together an article that effectively sums up both the challenges and opportunities facing content owners today. There are two “big questions” from the content owners’ perspective: (more…)