Everything we do, whether in marketing or any other facet of our business, has to be outcomes-driven and forward-thinking, and that includes our focus on social media and social listening. Top-notch social listening in this kind of environment isn’t just a we’ll-get-there-when-we-get-there proposition wherein we run some numbers and suggest that “someday we’ll figure out […]

Your nightmare has come true, except this time you didn’t show up to school naked. Instead, your company tweeted out something that was wrong, worse than wrong, bad, and worse than that—the whole world decided to notice. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the Equifax security breach and its ensuing horror […]

When measuring social media and website efforts, few metrics should be taken at face value. Every major platform has some form of native analytic tool, and Google Analytics provides a wealth of information on the factors that affect a website’s performance. But it can be difficult to separate the signal from the noise, to wade […]

When it comes to media relations, it’s easy to think your job is all about journalists and coverage. But really, it’s about the mission: to improve a brand’s relationship with the public. Sometimes, as we become master PR practitioners, we forget the multitude of ways that other fields—such as social media and influencer marketing—can improve […]

The hashtag is about 15 years old, but it has still got to be one of the most misunderstood social media tactics ever. Hashtags were a Twitter invention that allowed you to find, follow and engage in a conversation. They’re a way to get your content in front of people who aren’t following you, but […]

When it comes to CEOs, they don’t get more influential than the man in the White House, and we certainly know that our president likes Twitter. But given his lack of restraint, POTUS may not be the best example to follow. President Trump aside, it is a valid question for corporate communications folks to ponder […]

From “A PC in every household” to “empowering every person and organization on the planet to do more,” the age-old Microsoft tale has hinged on improving lives through cutting edge technology. While the story has been told in many forms through the years, the seed of Microsoft’s resolve remains unchanged and today, that story is more […]

To quote a wise man (Albus Dumbledore, of course!): “Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.” In this climate, should a brand choose easy or right or both? This has been a year of many things. For social […]

Did you experience a sudden and sharp sense of FOMO last week? Then you should’ve been in San Francisco with PR News. An all-star lineup of speakers presented on topics ranging from SEO and Google Analytics to influencer marketing and Snapchat at the Big 4 Social Media Conference and Google for Communicators Boot Camp held […]

I’ve written before about where social media should live in your organization, and the answers varied from customer service to digital marketing to marketing communications. A few days later, I sat down with Linda Rutherford, CCO of Southwest Airlines, to get her perspective on how the airline dealt with the same question. To her, the question centers around […]