Saturday, January 29, 2011

What I can work on each day as I move forward in 2011

Just like starting a diet, breaking change into small pieces can make starting a possibility and worrying about failure less. I know I need to slow down. This is what I am going to try. I wrote the questions out and will paste them on my monitor and think about this.

Amplify’d from blogs.hbr.org

The Best Way to Use the Last Five Minutes of Your Day

There's a simple reason for it: we rarely take the time to pause, breathe, and think about what's working and what's not. There's just too much to do and no time to reflect.

I was once asked: if an organization could teach only one thing to its employees, what single thing would have the most impact? My answer was immediate and clear: teach people how to learn. How to look at their past behavior, figure out what worked, and repeat it while admitting honestly what didn't and change it.

Every day, before leaving the office, save a few minutes to think about what just happened. Look at your calendar and compare what actually happened — the meetings you attended, the work you got done, the conversations you had, the people with whom you interacted, even the breaks you took — with your plan for what you wanted to have happen. Then ask yourself three sets of questions:

  • What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?
  • How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure?
  • Who did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback?



This last set of questions is invaluable in terms of maintaining and growing relationships. It takes just a few short minutes to shoot off an email — or three — to share your appreciation for a kindness someone extended, to ask someone a question, or to keep someone in the loop on a project.

If we don't pause to think about it, we are apt to overlook these kinds of communications. And we often do. But in a world where we depend on others to achieve anything in life, they are essential.

Read more at blogs.hbr.org
 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Social event discovery is the "word of mouth" for social media

Eventbrite is doing more and more to help event organizers get the word out. They integrate with Facebook events very nicely, but I sure wish they would work on a API partnership with LinkedIn so I can get them in both places more easily. What tools do you use to promote your events?


Social Media Breakfast Madison - Host to Lands End Social Media Presentation

Still a few seats left for this program held in a new location - The Radisson Hotel Madison. Same bat time and same bat channel.

Lands End Speaks Out on Social Media Strategy - Social Media Breakfast Madison Special Event
SMB Madison is pleased to welcome Eric Gohs, Senior Manager of Social Media and Mobile Marketing for Lands' End, to speak with us on January 19 at a new venue:
- the Radisson Hotel Madison on Madison's westside.



Social media has provided Lands' End with a new opportunity to do
what the company has been doing for nearly 50 years - connect with
customers. By establishing a company-wide strategy that focuses on
Community, Content and Commerce, Lands' End is able to engage their
audience to build brand evangelists, reward loyal customers and
facilitate ongoing conversations.

Eric Gohs will share their approach to
building a strategy, creating a test-and-learn environment and
establishing tactics to deliver on a plan in this rapidly evolving
space.

Read more at jan2011smbmadison.eventbrite.com
 

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Road To Referendum



MATC used a variety of techniques to support their quest for a referendum in the fall elections. They used badges on Facebook, word of mouth, presentations, email campaigns, and a community building site for a time capsule. The result? The yes vote and a passed referendum!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Best Search Engine | Google Is The Best Search Engine | SEO Training Products

Best Search Engine | Google Is The Best Search Engine | SEO Training Products

This is a great post by a local educator for the UW system and small business Steve Woessner. Local search marketing with a focus on Google Places is a direction I am steering many of my clients towards.