During my nearly two years as a reporter, I spent a significant portion of each day sifting through countless emails (I had 34,000 emails in my inbox when I left), the majority containing a press release. The process started with “starring” the emails worthy of a second look, deleting the rest and then reviewing my […]
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How do you turn a group of people into a team?
It’s not uncommon for companies to require different skill sets for different positions. That’s very true for our company. What makes a great copywriter is different from what makes a great video producer. They will tackle problems differently, visualize differently, and maybe even communicate differently. Sure, they can get along, but how do you turn […]
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The times they are a changin’
Transitioning from journalism to PR Change is inevitable in life and learning to accept that change is normal is a skill I’ve slowly mastered. Recently, change has again risen to the surface, this time as I switched jobs from the business reporter at the Holland Sentinel to the writer and communications strategist at Boileau. As […]
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Finding positives in failure
I don’t mind talking about my failures. People who know me know I’m a believer that I’ve learned more over the course of my life from my failures than I have my successes. Not long ago I saw a piece in the Wall Street Journal talking about how some leading Ivy League schools and others […]
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How Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes You Better at Your Job
Staring wistfully out the window on a Friday, you begin to think about the upcoming weekend, excuses to avoid going to that wedding for your second cousin, chores you’ve been avoiding during the workweek. And if you’re me or millions of other people around the world, you are looking forward to meeting up with your […]
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Word of Mouth
For all the wonders of digital marketing and social media, it’s a little easy for us marketers to forget the astounding power of personal relationships in advocacy for a brand. Several years back I read a great little book called Contagious (2013) by Jonah Berger about why things go viral, or why people share ideas […]
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Managing the Smacktivist
Managing the Smacktivist Smacktivisit: noun A person who uses social media primarily to talk smack about an organization, business or person. Usually this person sees themselves as an activist for a cause of some sort. Also see: “Troll” Social Media has changed business in a lot of ways. It offers an incredible opportunity for companies […]
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Talkin’ About Their Gggeneration
I’m a Boomer who has a lot of fondness and respect for the much-maligned Millennials. I’ll admit, I’ve had fun at their expense and indulged in a little snowflake-calling and participation trophy mocking. But my heart’s not really in it.
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