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ExploreMyKC.com

Posted in Integrated Marketing (IMC)

Each year the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Program completes a Legacy project meant to leave a lasting impact on the community. I am proud to be a part of the 2013 Centurions class and excited to help spread the word about our 2011-2012 project. This year, we’ve partnered with Kansas City Public Television to create a book of photographs that reflect life in the greater Kansas City area.

Anyone in the community can log in to exploremykc.com and submit their photos. It’s an exciting way to be part of Kansas City history.

Recently, the Centurions completed a Legacy challenge to help promote the project. Centurions were divided into 10 teams and competed against one another to see which team could drive the most traffic to exploremykc.com. The challenge used unique bit.ly links to track click-throughs. Bit.ly allowed us to track not only click-throughs, but to identify where clicks originated. The groups used all means of communication possible to spread the word, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email… all communications channels were available for use.

When looking at the analytics after the challenge something became clear. Social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, is an effective way to reach networks, but the team who won went beyond that. They used their offline connections to spur traffic. When building a campaign, remember there are many ways to achieve success. Don’t forget to look outside social media for more traditional ways, such as email and word-of-mouth to reach your intended audience. Or try blogging. While not 100 percent traditional, I’m hoping it will drive some traffic to the project!

Tagged Centurions Leadership Program, exploremykc.com, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Morningstar Communications, Tricia Jaworski | Leave a comment Posted on December 20, 2011 by Tricia Jaworski

Something Worth Tweeting About

Posted in Social Media

I have always felt fortunate to be a part of the close-knit community that is Shawnee Mission West High School. A 2007 graduate, I have seen students and their families ban together many times to help others in their moment of need. So when my younger brother told me of a 17-year-old student at West that was battling a rare form of cancer I wasn’t surprised to see the school rally. Two years ago students shaved their heads to show support when he began chemotherapy. And when Ashton Brunmeier lost his battle with cancer at the age of 17 on Sunday December 4, I knew the West community would handle this tragedy with their incredible resolve. However, I would have never predicted the viral trending of Ashton’s initials, #ATB, across the Twitterverse following his death.

Fellow students took to Twitter to honor Ashton and quickly launched #ATB to the number one trend in Kansas City and later to the number three trend nationally. Students were tweeted and re-tweeted by celebrities, raising awareness for cancer research and gaining widespread media attention.

From a public relations perspective, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the comprehensive grassroots campaign these students launched. #ATB appeared on t-shirts, cars, signs at the University of Kansas basketball game, on the front windows of local businesses and spread rapidly across Facebook and Twitter. Students even researched the algorithm that identifies trends on Twitter and organized mass tweets.

Keep in mind, these are not communications professionals, or even college students majoring in integrated marketing, they are high school students. This type of communication is innate to Generation Z. They use every communication tool at their disposal and are extremely effective at sharing their message. My key take-away for companies trying to connect with Generation Z is two-fold:

They are super-connected multi-taskers. Whether on their phone, laptop or iPad, this generation is in a constant state of communication. To reach Generation Z you need to be plugged in and communicating the same way they do, across multiple platforms. In order to keep #ATB trending, students were accessing Twitter constantly throughout the day, which for a high school student means during classes, extracurricular activities and after school jobs.

They don’t just consume information; they share information – with everyone. And social media is a powerful tool for doing this. If your organization leaves a positive impression, this generation will share that experience with their extended network. As in the case with #ATB, students were appreciative of public figures that tweeted for their cause, resulting in a surge of new Twitter followers for that person, tweets about that person and quite possibly many new, loyal fans. Unfortunately this also means a bad impression could have devastating consequences for a company’s image.

The virality of #ATB is just one reminder of the impact a unified group of people can make in the age of social media. Businesses have more ways than ever before to connect with consumers and should take full advantage of these communication tools, while keeping in mind associated risks. While Generation Z may not have much spending power now, they will. And for companies to reach this generation, they have to learn to communicate like them.

Tagged #ATB, Generation Z, Michelle Boyd, Morningstar Communications, Twitter | 1 Comment Posted on December 15, 2011 by Michelle Boyd

Blogging Through the Year

Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights

As the year comes to a close, we are bombarded with year in review lists – top news stories of 2011, most totally awesome meltdowns of 2011, chart-topping songs of the year … you get the picture. So here’s one more – a few of my favorite Luminary Blog posts from the past year.

We started the year in January with an insightful post from Tricia Jaworski about social media resolutions for your business. As we close out the fourth quarter, how was your year in social media?

After all of the hard work that goes into securing a media placement, it is important to maximize your success. Once you have that great story in print what do you do to make the most of it? Holly Eckold tells you how.

Listening is one of the most important pieces of communication and we often forget that part of the equation. Meg Schulte shared how listening leads to learning, particularly in social media.

Eric Morgenstern wrote a great post on one of my favorite topics, collaboration. He shared how cooperation, even among frequent competitors, can create excellent and mutually beneficial outcomes. It’s “win-win” or no deal when it comes to successful collaboration.

And finally, as a not-so-secret word nerd I love this post by Michelle Boyd about the importance of strong writing skills.

Those are but a sampling of the insightful and interesting posts from the Luminary Blog in 2011. Stay tuned in 2012 for even more great posts from our stellar team. Happy Holidays!

Tagged blog review, Luminary blog, Morningstar Communications, Rachel Spear | Leave a comment Posted on December 13, 2011 by Rachel Spear

What defines creativity?

Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights

During the last month or so, the subject of creativity loomed large on the radar screen of clients, colleagues and other businesspeople in my network. Conversations revolved around how to be more creative, infusing creativity into the development process, and pushing the creative envelope on campaigns. It got me thinking about what truly is creative. What does the label mean?

It turns out, creativity is in the eye of the beholder. Just check with these creative types, featured in a recent issue of Fast Company. You’ll see how subjective the idea of creativity really is, and how often creative ideas get shoved aside for the tried and true.

To be honest, I’ve never considered myself a “Big Idea” person. When it comes to thinking outside the box, I really have to push through my personal self-doubt. Which is why I especially enjoyed this blogpost about NOT thinking outside the box. Like Pallotta, I find the best fresh ideas aren’t necessarily pushing the envelope, but rather providing a new perspective while tying to the overall strategic goals we are focused on accomplishing.

Tagged best practices, Creativity, Executive Insights, Morningstar Communications, Sheri Johnson | Leave a comment Posted on December 8, 2011 by Sheri Johnson

Consumer Trends for 2012

Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights, Integrated Marketing (IMC), Online Marketing, Social Media

A few months ago a friend asked me what business title I would like, if I could have any title. Some people would say President or CEO, but for me, the perfect title would be Chief Knowledge Officer. I would love to spend my days reading the news and researching trends and then determining how to make that knowledge a competitive advantage for our company.

I may not ever be able to devote myself just to gaining knowledge, but exploring trendwatching.com is a small step in the right direction. trendwatching.com scans the globe for emerging consumer trends, insights and innovations. They recently published their 12 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2012. Here is their list:

1. Red Carpet – businesses around the world will shower Chinese customers and visitors with even more tailored services and perks, and in general, lavish attention and respect.
2. DIY Health – DIY goes ‘good for you’ in 2012: novel apps and devices will increasingly let consumers discreetly track and manage their health by themselves.
3. Dealer-chic – For consumers, securing the best deals is fast becoming a way of life, if not a source of pride and status.
4. Eco-cycology – Next for recycling? Brands taking back all of their products (and recycling them responsibly and innovatively).
5. Cash-less – Why a cashless future is (almost) here, and why it will be about convenience and an entire new eco-system of payments, rewards and offers.
6. Bottom of the Urban Pyramid – In 2012, the opportunities to cater to hundreds of millions of low-income urban consumers will be unprecedented.
7. Idle Sourcing – Expect crowd-based problem solving to fuel endless innovations in 2012, especially as for consumers, contributing will be more effortless than ever.
8. Flawsome – Brands that behave more humanly, including showing their flaws, will be awesome.
9. Screen Culture – In 2012, ‘life’ will take place via ever more pervasive, personal, immersive and interactive screens.
10. Recommerce – For smart consumers, ‘trading in’ is the new buying in 2012.
11. Emerging Maturialism – Why in 2012, experienced, open-minded consumers in traditionally ‘conservative’ emerging markets will embrace campaigns and products that are frank if not risqué.
12. Point & Know – 2012 will be about instant visual information gratification.

 

There are many fabulous examples of how these trends are manifesting themselves on the trendwatching.com site; I’d like to share two here.

A great example of Eco-cycology is Patagonia’s Common Threads Initiative. The initiative encourages people to return items that have reached the end of their life to be recycled into new fiber or fabric. So far Patagonia has reclaimed 45 tons of clothing.

One of the examples of the Cash-less trend is about the company called Square. Square is an electronic payment service that enables users to accept credit card payments using their smart phones. I happened to hear Jim McKelvey, one of the founders of Square, speak at a recent conference for women entrepreneurs. His best advice, “Don’t look for opportunities, look for disruptions.”

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.

Tagged Global Women's Summit, Morningstar Communications, Patagonia, Shanny Morgenstern, Square, trendwatching.com | Leave a comment Posted on December 6, 2011 by Shanny Morgenstern

Intentional Networking: 10 Easy Tips for Long-term Success

Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights

During the past few years, the word “networking” has been translated way too often to mean “I need to meet with you so I can get a new job.”

However, the best definition of networking is developing mutually beneficial, two-way relationships, that develop over time. You plant a seed, water it, and perhaps, it sprouts someday.

I recently had the honor of presenting, “Intentional Networking” to more than 200 women entrepreneurs as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Kauffman Foundation. This speaking opportunity helped me hone my tips on how to effectively approach networking. Here are my top 10 tips:

1. Place your nametag on the right side. You reach forward with your right hand to shake and this helps make it easy for the other person to read your name.
2. Restate their name. Reach out your hand and say, “Hi, I’m Eric …” and then they say, “I’m Susan.” Then you say, “Hi Susan, nice to meet you.” When you restate their name, you have a much greater chance of remembering it.
3. Share and Get. Prepare in advance by coming prepared with something to share at this networking event. Bring a tip, it’s even better if it’s not business related. A new handyman, a great restaurant … something universal to move the conversation forward. Then, think about what you need, so you can ask, “we’re looking for a great admin; know anyone?” or “I need a new distributor in Nebraska …” Knowing what you want to “Share and Get” before you arrive will enhance your success.
4. Ask Questions. Albert Einstein said, “questions are the creative acts of intelligence.”   Ask great, open-ended questions, and your contacts will think you’re smart and a wonderful listener.
5. Arrive Early. The early bird catches the connections. Relax, stake out your place, and start slowly. We all network better when we’re not frazzled.
6. Stand by the food.  Important note: I didn’t say stand in front of the food. People will come by you, and then move on. Whether it’s the buffet or the bar, it’s best if people come up to you.
7. Think quality, not quantity. Many years ago a young colleague told me she collected 33 business cards at a networking event. I said, “how many of these people did you really connect with … will they remember meeting you?” It’s much better to make three solid connections, than grab 30 cards.
8. Write on business cards. After each conversation, turn the person’s card over and make notes …
   likes sushi, has two teenagers, previously worked at Sprint. Give yourself mind-joggers to help remember the person.
9. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. Many years ago, I finally met a person I really wanted to get to know better. I eagerly called the next morning, and she said, “I don’t remember meeting you last night.” I was crushed. I learned this important lesson – you must be memorable, but be memorable in a good way.
10. Don’t say “fine.” When someone asks, “How are you?” develop a distinctive, authentic response. I always answer, “excellent” spoken with enthusiasm.  Say anything but fine.
11. Bonus Networking Tip:  Your Mom was right … send hand-written notes.  Read more here, but the simple fact is that 44 cents and one minute of your time is the single greatest way to make a positive, lasting impression.

Tagged Eric Morgenstern, Morningstar Communications, Networking | 2 Comments Posted on November 30, 2011 by Eric Morgenstern

Customer Service: Keep Me Happy and I’ll Keep Buying!

Posted in Best Practices

Well, Thanksgiving Day is over and The Plaza lights are glowing – yes, folks, the holiday season is officially here. For many of us, whether we like it or not, that means it’s shopping time! I’m a newlywed and the names on my holiday shopping list have recently increased, leading me to check out even more retail and online shops than in years past. Although it may feed my addictive shopping personality more than is necessary, I’ll sacrifice for the ones I love .

Going in and out of the beautifully decorated stores last weekend made me realize there’s one thing that can curb my shopping addiction: poor customer service. For example, I have a personal rule of thumb that if a sales associate does not greet me during the time I am in their shop, I will not purchase anything from them. I find it extremely rude to not be acknowledged and since they didn’t do a single thing to earn my hard-earned money – not even a “Hi, how are you” – I would rather spend my money elsewhere. Also, their lack of customer service will not make me likely to return to their business anytime soon.

According to Jim Callahan, who has more than 40 years of experience working in customer service, one unhappy shopping experience can influence the behavior of 16 customers. The Rule of 16 magnifies the importance of satisfying each and every customer. Simply stated, the rule teaches us that a satisfied customer is likely to tell as many as five friends or acquaintances about their good experience. Conversely, an unhappy customer will share their negative experience with 10 others immediately after the experience–and they don’t necessarily have to be friends.

Whether Jim’s factor of 16 is statistically accurate or not, the point is well taken. In the world of online reviews and social media, a bad customer service experience can speak volumes. Dissatisfied clients will not only speak ill of your organization in person, but if they choose to post their experience online, they can influence dozens more through numerous networks. Not many companies can afford to lose that business in today’s economy.

No matter what industry you are in, first-class customer service to clients, prospective clients or ANYONE plays a huge part in the success of your business. Good customer service doesn’t happen overnight, so make your customer service proactive the whole year through by having the right people and processes in place. Friendly, proactive service leads to retention and revenue. There are countless other benefits of positive customer service including customer satisfaction, trust, loyalty, etc.

Create a connection and understand your customer or client from the beginning in order to get the end result you desire – a returning buyer. The customer will be happy and so will you. Sometimes it’s a simple as starting with a friendly “Hello.”

Tagged Customer Service, Meg Schulte, Morningstar Communications | Leave a comment Posted on November 29, 2011 by Meg Schulte

Creative Messaging: Food for thought

Posted in Integrated Marketing (IMC), Online Marketing, Social Media

Thanksgiving is only two days away. In a matter of hours, relatives will collectively gather in homes across the country for holiday festivities. While Morningstar Communications won’t be hosting an office turkey feast this Thursday, we would still like the opportunity to entertain and give our blog guests some food for thought.

Many businesses and custumers anxiously await holiday season sales, but before these big sales take place, all of the businesses spend money in advertising to draw customers in. These ads all have one thing in common – a message for the consumer.

Here is my personal favorite holiday advertisement I’ve seen this season: Gotta Go to Kohl’s on Black Friday.

Messaging is key for any business. But how are they crafted? In what tone? In what voice? Who is the intended audience? In what creative way are these messages delivered? These are all good questions, but the final product should be made of what Eric Morgenstern calls the anatomy of great messaging.

Within thirty seconds, the Kohl’s ad touches on each of the six elements of great messaging. And it does it in a creative, memorable, entertaining way. Not only do I know who they are, when the sale is, how it benefits me to go (christmas shopping done early, Kohl’s cash, etc.), but it is also simple, recipient-oriented, AND they brought it to us via parody of a notorious, viral song, which is stuck in my head on loop again. You too? You’re welcome. Bottom line – it works.

What else works? How about Ford’s unique approach to releasing the 2013 Escape? Or, how about the creative 404 pages found in this Business Insider article? I love creative messaging. Do you? What creative messages that exemplify the anatomy of great messaging did I miss? Let us know what you think!

Stay Digital.

Tagged holidays, Matthew Barnett, Messaging, Morningstar Communications, social media | Leave a comment Posted on November 22, 2011 by Matthew Barnett

Wanted: Brainstorming Skills

Posted in Best Practices, Morningstar Communications Updates

I recently represented Morningstar Communications at Kansas City’s PRSA Day, which included a career fair for college students interested in public relations.  I loved how enthusiastic and driven the students were—asking question after question about what experience makes them the most attractive to employers in the PR field.

One student asked me something particularly interesting. She said, “I feel like one of my strengths is coming up with creative ideas in a group brainstorming session. Is that something that I should write on my resume or bring up in interviews?” Absolutely.

Divergent thinking, or coming up with multiple solutions to a problem or a question, is a skill that is so incredibly important today not only in the PR field, but in multiple industries.

Brainstorming sessions are where the best ideas happen. It’s amazing how different people offer different perspectives and ideas have a snowball effect. I loved a quote I recently saw in Fast Company from designer Aza Raskin, who said, “I love to take a spark of curiosity and pour fuel on it.” Brainstorming sessions are like pouring fuel on creative sparks.

At Morningstar Communications we frequently use group brainstorms to come up with new ideas for clients. Only one rule exists at our brainstorming sessions: no “fire hosing” other people’s ideas. If you make fun of an idea, you have to wear a fireman’s hat as a funny sort of punishment for “fire hosing.”  All ideas are welcome at the brainstorming table.

Below are links to a couple of interesting articles with advice for those interested in a career in PR.  Both mention the importance of creativity and curiosity, among  other important skills for new PR professionals to hone.

7 Essential Tips for PR Newbies- Petya N. Gergieva
The PR pro of today: What do employers really want? –Arik Hanson

What skills do you think are important for employees in the PR industry?

Tagged Brainstorming, Creativity, Holly Eckold, Morningstar Communications, New PR professionals | Leave a comment Posted on November 17, 2011 by Holly Eckold

Company holiday gatherings – a tradition soon becoming extinct?

Posted in Admin, Morningstar Communications Updates

Each year in the final quarter at work, the entire Morningstar Communications team come together for two important and fun events – our holiday card signing party and our holiday lunch get-together. It’s something most of us look forward to, not only because we are doing something fun, but because it also continues to strengthen our camaraderie as a team. A lot of planning goes into it well in advance because we care that everything should be just right. You could even call us perfectionists – that’s how important it is for us!

Isn’t it quite sad that many companies are giving up these traditions because of the state of our economy? Granted, holiday gatherings and greetings, especially for large companies and corporations, cost a grand sum of money. It’s highly likely the heads of these organizations deem this an unnecessary expense and would like to do without them. Or wonder of wonders, maybe the employees themselves feel it a waste of money too.

But where is it written that these traditions have to be exorbitantly expensive? Haven’t you heard of potlucks? There are so many different economical options. Granted everyone has to put in a little effort (and it’s not as nice as going to a restaurant or having the meal catered in) but it is not impossible and it’s not forever.

If you work at a company that has decided to do without these traditions, let me know what you think about it. Were you given a choice or were you told about the change without being able to share your input? Will it change the way you work next year, knowing there may not be a holiday gathering celebrating the year?

I, for one, am looking forward to our holiday lunch and card signing party. Yes, you got that right…we take pride in individually signing each and every card that we send. I did tell you we take it very seriously around here!

Tagged Corporate Culture, Morningstar Communications, Suchitra Kamath | Leave a comment Posted on November 15, 2011 by Suchitra Kamath ← Older posts