Morningstar Communications Luminary Blog

I recently posted on best practices in new media relations. Today I’d like to take a closer look at the social media news release and social media newsroom.

Several companies have started developing press releases and Web site newsrooms geared specifically to bloggers and online journalists. These releases have links, multi-media, tags and other adaptations to make them friendlier for those looking to pick up information and use it in a blog post or online news story.

I’ve found the site Social Media Training to be very informative on a variety of social marketing topics. They have an entire section devoted to the social media news release, complete with definition, a template and examples.

The newsroom at Wecansolveit.org is another example of how you can set up a newsroom to allow the media to customize the way they receive information. I especially like how they’ve labeled the newsroom “press & bloggers.”

...is when you answer the phone, and it's the right person, with the right need, at the right time.

New years is the most common time people make goals for the year. Some stick to them, some don't. Once you have clear goals, it is important to know whether you are on track with those goals. Take your annual goal and break it down by the month, the week and then to the day.

As managers, having a clear goal of what you want to accomplish each day can make your team much more productive. You will have a fierce competitive advantage over those who do not.

Without a goal, the sense of accomplishment just is not there. Determining, updating and clarifying the progress of a team's goals should be a key part of the job for any manager who wants to create a positive and productive department.

Goals are a tracking device that help you see what you want in many areas of your life.

I recently read the Inside Influence Report published by Influence at Work. Influence at Work uses scientific principals to promote ethical persuasion in a business environment. The current newsletter, written by Noah J. Goldstein, Ph.D. talks about the principal of diffusion of responsibility. This is the concept where individuals are less likely to volunteer when they perceive that others are available to step up as well. Persuasive communications are the most effective when they are customized thoughtfully.

Business meetings are a part of the job.  They can be very successful or a waste of time.  Top 7 Strategies for Productive Meetings provides some guidelines to make your meetings effective.  When your meetings are unproductive, you waste time and loose potential revenue.

Running effective meetings can change the perception of those attending.  Instead of your attendees checking their phones, snacking, or tuning out, a few simple steps can keep everyone more focused.

    * Issue an agenda
    * Start the discussion and encourage active participation
    * Work to keep the meeting at a comfortable pace – not moving too fast or too slow
    * Summarize the discussion and the recommendations at the end of each logical section
    * Ensure all participants receive minutes promptly

Time is money and no one wants to feel that attending a meeting is a waste of time.

Our work must be focused on achieving key business outcomes, not just communications output.  For way too long, marketing and communications professionals have measured success based on traditional outputs, i.e., how many subscribers "saw" a story; how many people "visited" a web site; how many recipients "received" the newsletter, etc.

Here's a secret...executives don't really care at all about outputs!   What they DO care about is whether or not our work helped them achieve meaningful outcomes.  Outcomes are results that drive the business...this is what C-level executives focus on.  Gain new customers.  Strengthen relationships with current customers.  Add new distributors.  Engage more completely both the hearts and minds of their employees.  These matter; and as we help drive these results, they'll remain our fans. 

Solid outputs should lead to good outcomes.  So stop counting clips, and focus exclusively on achieving meaningful business outcomes.

That's the only thing that really matters, to the people who matter to you.

We have done our share of phone interviews when looking for our summer, fall and spring interns so I wanted to share some great tips I found on the web that would be very beneficial to prospective interviewees.

• Prepare for a phone interview just as you would for a regular interview. Compile a list of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a list of answers to typical interview questions.
• Keep your resume in clear view, on the top of your desk, or tape it to the wall near the phone, so it's at your fingertips when you need to answer questions.
• Have a short list of your accomplishments available to review.
• Have a pen and paper handy for taking notes. 
• During the Phone Interview:
  • Do keep a glass of water handy, in case you need to wet your mouth.
  • Smile. Smiling will project a positive image to the listener and will change the tone of your voice.
  • Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
  • Use the person's title (Mr. or Ms. and their last name.) Only use a first name if they ask you to.
  • Don't interrupt the interviewer.
  • Take your time - it's perfectly acceptable to take a moment or two to collect your thoughts.
  • Give short answers.
  • After you thank the interviewer ask if it would be possible to meet in person.
• After the Interview:
  • Take notes about what you were asked and how you answered.
  • Remember to say "thank you." Follow with a thank you note which reiterates your interest in the job.

More interview tips are available at: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviews/Job_Interview_Tips.htm

Hope you find it as useful!

I recently read an article by Cory Doctorow, the editor of Boing Boing http://www.boingboing.net/ entitled 17 Tips for Getting Bloggers to Write About You. The article has some great specific suggestions, but the bottom line is - if you provide content that is easy for bloggers to use, they are more likely to use it.

Is the popularity of e-mailing and instant messaging making us appear lazy and unprofessional? As an intern, I am constantly aware of how I am branding myself in the eyes of my colleagues and outsiders. This is probably due to the fact that my professors have embedded in me the idea that everything I do positions myself against others. Whether it be a simple instant message or a professional e-mail sent to an outsider, I should always be aware of my tone and professionalism. This seems simple, but in a world of instant gratification, it is hard to remember the importance of having the same etiquette you would have in a face-to-face conversation. When speaking to a colleague, I would never abbreviate or write in all lower-case, so why is it acceptable in online communication? The explosion of internet technology in the workplace has allowed us to communicate without having to leave our desk. This is an effective tool in internal communication, but although effective, it may be making us lazy, both professionally and even physically. On my first day as an intern, I quickly understood the best way to contact someone in the office was by "pinging" them (a term I quickly added to my cyberspace vocabulary) on their iChat. I have to admit I quite liked being able to ask a brief question without having to leave my seat and in return getting an instant response. Although I have been drawn into this new age of communication, it is important I resist the urge to slack off and to know that proper etiquette in e-mails is still a must.

Intern, CJ