A Marketing Professional’s Letter to Telemarketers

via Flickr by Seattle Municipal Archives

Dear Telemarketers,

I understand your job is difficult. You have to make dozens if not hundreds of calls every day. You have quotas to make. You’re judged not by the quality of your conversations but by the quantity that you make and how many result in the desired outcome. You have it rough and I don’t envy you.

I receive a lot of these calls. On average 3-5 a week. I’m not sure how I ended up on these lists but I have a sneaky suspicion that those “free”subscriptions to industry publications exact the price of selling my name for marketing purposes. Continue reading »

The Impact of Boston

This past week has transfixed the entire country. From the bombings at the Boston Marathon to the unbelievable climax in Watertown, I’ve been overwhelmed with a mix of emotions.

* With my husband originating from Boston, there were waves of relief as each person checked in to say they were safe
* Sadness as I learned about the lives forever changed by this heinous act
* Empathy for our friends who were on shift at the hospitals receiving the injured
* Elation as I watched the eventual capture of the infamous suspect #2

But what struck me most about this past week, as I can only begin to digest the week’s events like everyone else in the US, is the sheer ability of people to rise above this terrorist attack. We’ve seen incredible examples of it:

* Marathoners finishing the race and continuing on to hospitals to donate blood
* Brave first responders rushing in to help the injured without knowing if more jobs would be ignited
* The spirit of Bostonians (though they can be a crabby group, their heart is unquestionable ) to take in strangers and help one another
* The running community showing solidarity with memorial runs, fundraising and more

More importantly, as the president said:

All in all it’s been a tough week but we’ve seen the character of our country once more. As president, I believe that we have the courage, resilience, and spirit to overcome these challenges and to go forward as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

This incident, no matter how horrible, no matter how unbelievable, no matter how disgusting it is, showed me the better side of humanity and to appreciate my loved ones that much more.

As an adopted daughter-in-law of Boston: Go Boston, Stay Strong. Go Red Sox!

Note – I have disabled comments for this post.

Small part to show support at my company – 2.62 mile run on April 19.

Presentation 101: The Brilliance of Speaking Simply

The last two weeks has been a master class on how to present brilliantly or poorly as that may be. While I am admittedly a Democrat and mainly watched the Democrat National Conference, my points are not based on party affiliation. Rather it’s about the power of speaking simply to convey a message.

This is an issue not related solely to politicians, but any person who presents publicly. A powerful speaker is remembered long after the speech has concluded. And the single quality that all memorable speakers have? Simplicity.

Here are four tips to brilliant speaking: Continue reading »

My top 5 don’ts of LinkedIn

When used well, LinkedInis a powerful business networking community and tool. I personally am more apt to accept a LinkedIn invitation to connect than Facebook. However, there are some pet peeves I have about LinkedIn. Here are my top 5 don’ts, in no particular order:

Sending generic invitations to connect: I’ve received dozens of invitations to connect via LinkedIn. In the past, I would automatically accept invitations, even from complete strangers. However, as LinkedIn members have become more aggressive with emails and connections, I evaluate each request carefully. One mistake is not customizing the canned invitation. Take 2 minutes to explain why you want to connect – prospective partnership, mentorship, job hunting, etc. Otherwise, I will click on reject versus accept.

Incomplete and boring profiles: Yes, I have to admit that my profile is slightly out of date for my current position With that said, my profile is more than just a listing of positions I’ve held over the past 15 years. It needs to read more than just a timeline. Rather, I’ve taken time to consider who may be viewing my profile – recruiters, current colleagues, prospective employees and more. And for those seeking employment, write your profile to capture someone’s attention within the first 10-15 seconds. Be bold. Be eye-catching.

Keeping profiles private: This one totally confuses me. While Facebook is for family and friends; hence why I maintain a private profile, to me LinkedIn, it’s about business networking. Keeping a profile private communicates you’re seeking to hide something. Not a good start for any relationship.

Spamming groups: I see more and more spam in my LinkedIn Groups. This reminds me of spam comments on blogs. While there is a way to limit this on blogs, it’s up to group managers or community managers to monitor groups. Take a step back and reconsider how your participate on LinkedIn Groups – it should always be educational and helpful. Otherwise this reflects poorly on you and your company/employer.

Mass LinkedIn messages: As LinkedIn has opened up premium services, I’m seeing more spam in my LinkedIn in box. I am receptive to receiving emails from individuals who have clearly reviewed and pre-qualified me based on my profile. Otherwise, sending LinkedIn messages is worthless spam.

What are your don’ts for LinkedIn?

The Four Stages of Social Media

Over the past few years, I’ve counseled and assisted companies establish their social media programs. As I think back to these program, I believe there are four key stages intrinsic to the evolution of a successful social media program: broadcast, inquisitive, participatory, and conversation. While I don’t want to oversimplify this process – some organizations may skip or combine these stages – I do think this is helpful for framing the general growth of a social media program:

Broadcast stage:While we recognize that social media is about conversations and engagement, I’ve found that the first stage is getting comfortable with publishing on this medium. As such, the first phase will mainly be broadcasting – upcoming events, new blog postings, product announcements, etc.

Inquisitive stage: Once an organization becomes comfortable publishing on social media, the next stage is being inquisitive – asking others for their comments, feedback, including polls and other similar activities. From my perspective, this is the first step from broadcast toward engagement.

Participatory stage: It is at this stage that an organization moves from broadcast to a participatory level. In addition to promoting it’s own content, an organization begins recognizing the contribution of others. This includes retweeting, commenting, and sharing links to blog postings, articles and other content of interest to your followers/target audiences.

Conversation stage: This is the most intensive aspect of a social media program and most desired stage that all aspire to. At this stage, an organization is engaging in an active conversation with their audiences – responding in real-time to constituents while adding value.

Are there other stages to consider when starting a social media program?

Holograms to Make Virtual Appearances at Future Events

During the Coachella Music Festival in April 2012, Tupac Shukar, a hip-hop star who passed away in 1996, made a surprise appearance as a hologram, performing “live” along side hip-hop/rap stars Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre. You may be asking yourselves, why is this musical festival relevant to virtual trends, much less the meetings and events industry?

Continue reading »

5 Must Top Skills for Today’s Marketing Professional

I originally started my career in public relations before moving into the marketing function. Throughout the years, there are several skills that  I’lve picked up that have been essential to my role. Here are the five key skills that I believe are a must for today’s marketing professional, in no particular order: Continue reading »