We are also excited because we are right around the corner from launching our new website!  Flash based sites were cool how long ago…we know…too long ago, and that’s why we are updating it to reflect who we are, a PR and Social Media consultancy with fluency in communication both online and off via blogs, social networks, video and more.  Can’t wait!

And finally we are so excited about our new client Ouidad who are great people with a great product and service.  As you can see from my photo, I have naturally curly hair and well my curls were cured when I found Ouidad.  We have just launched their new blog so take a look and let us know what you think.

Well there will be more to report after the conference, after our new site goes live, after Ouidad has been up and running for a bit and after we announce or next newest client.

Stay Tuned!

Valorie

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Albert and Valorie take some time out for the Marketing Edge Podcast. Learn more about the Business Smart Tools Conference and join in the conversation that has begun here and will continue on May 5^th. To register, go here.

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We produced this great video for Pitney Bowes called Better Mail Moment which is geared for direct marketers and small businesses or any business who needs guidance on how to effectively reach their customer through direct mail.  Watch Carol Wallace guide us through her daily mail opening and learn!  Go here for more information about direct mail via Pitney Bowes and go here to see more videos.

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This video produced for our client Bigelow Tea is not only a perfect example of how to use video within the social media channels but it’s just a good business model to follow. Cindi Bigelow, President Bigelow Tea, hit the streets of New York City and got an earful about tea from everyone she talked to. No crazy editing, no corporate speak, just honesty from both Cindi and the variety of people she ran into.

Others seem to appreciate this as well. Take a look at what Chris Brogan has to say here and our mention of the video on our Business Smart Tools site here.

Take a look at more of our videos here.

1. there was an anonymous comment made which was posted at the same time Heather emailed me personally (which lead me to believe that it was actually Heather posting the comment based on tone and timing).
2. Heather stated her case or fought her battle via email instead of on the blog.
3. Heather then sent me an additional email asking for me to take her name off the previous blog entry. 

For the sake of argument, let’s replace Heather now with Company A  but still use Heather’s actions to demonstrate how a company should not approach social media.

First, you must know that any content you put up on a blog, a social network, video or more is now public domain.  You as a company are now subject to scrutiny and people can now voice their opinions, positive or negative, about your product or service.  Always think about how you want your customers to perceive your company…are you a solid company that your customers can rely on?  Do you provide entertainment for your customers?  Who is your target audience and what is their voice?  These are a few questions to ask yourself when you think about posting your content along with your company messaging/branding.

Second, let’s say your company has a blog, you posted your content and another blogger criticized you either for your message or your product or service.  Never, never, never work in stealth mode and leave an anonymous comment.  Anyone who has any kind of experience can track down who left a comment via ISP or sheer deduction like I did.  If you as a company leave an anonymous comment, all credibility is lost and you now look like the guilty party who has done something wrong. 

Having said all of this, use the comment section of the blog to state your case.  If a blogger has something negative to say about a service, for example, use the comment section to thank them for their insights and address the problem.  This allows you, in a public forum, to redeem your company.  You want to show everyone interested that you care and will resolve the problem quickly.  By sending an email to the blogger, you are only addressing that one indivdual (vs. all who read their blog) and can only hope that the blogger will say something positive or even mention your company at all.  If you take action in the comments section, you can be proactive and control your messaging.

And finally, asking a blogger to take your company name off of their blog shows your lack of experience in the blogosphere and shows you are doing the old corporate thing by trying to hide in times of trouble.  The internet tracks everything.  Even if a blogger took your company name off of their blog, you could still find a previous entry on other blogs who may have quoted the original entry and of course through RSS feeds.

So, lessons learned on how to blog for any company:

1. Always be aware that once you put out your message, it is on the internet to stay.
2. Welcome criticism and learn from it!
3. Transparency is key for surviving all social media efforts.  Always let everyone know who you are and what company you represent.
4. If a blogger makes a comment, positive or negative, repsond on their blog…the same goes for Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and all other social media sites.
5. Never ask for your company name to be taken off a site.  Your company will be destined for more scrutiny and more comments or another negative blog entry!

Happy Blogging!

We finally lined up some time on the phone and I told her about Creative Concepts.  Yes we are small but growing, yes you would start out writing so you could get to know our clients, but could grow quickly into a content editor and then business development if all worked out.  Lots of opportunities and while we aren’t a big corporate entity with floors and floors and tons of perks (and by the way aren’t those the ones going out of business or at the least laying off while we are hiring), it was an opportunity to make a move that provided flexibility and a future and at the very least provided some income for right now until the next big office job with lots and lots of floors comes along.

She said it sounded interesting and liked the idea that I was understanding enough to know that she may want to move to the big office if she found it….ahh, but that talk was all a lie.  This is what she chose to do:  she never responded back with an official yes or no even though she said she would (and wouldn’t that be good manners to do so and don’t manners count on a job hunt?), she continued to post status updates on Facebook saying she didn’t have any job possibilities, she actually sent me an invitation on Linkedin asking if I knew of any job possibilites would I pass them along, and then I read about her in Silicon Alley Insider where they had chosen 2 people to profile who had been fired, had no job possibilities and were on a job hunt.  Oh and did I mention the part about how on her blog she mentioned how she shouldn’t be on the toilet while having a phone interview (the same day I interviewed her on the phone) and one of her latest blog entires title is “I am the Gold Medal Winner of Bong Hits”…what if that employer with lots and lots of floors stops by her blog and reads just the title?

This is a classic example of how not to handle a job search.  The next time I go into the local schools and talk about the power of the internet, I will be sure to mention Heather Fink’s name and her approach to the process.  It will hopefully be a stellar case study that will teach the kids a thing or two because if I am not mistaken, Miss Heather still doesn’t have a job.

With all of this expansion comes a shuffle of job responsibilities internally.  Julie is a content manager with expansion into sales and account managment and she is doing a great job!  Paula, who is still relatively new with us, is working on many behind the scenes support projects to help keep our clients moving forward at a fast pace.  Nicoline, as usual, is doing an amazing job supporting our various clients while building our PowerPoint presentations and reports that are unique for each potential client and client with the help of newly designed slides from Presentation Partners.  Cecilia, who was recenly quoted on Flacker, has become our media and blogger research queen while Andrea, who has returned to Creative Concepts, is doing mucho phone work for our clients.  Justin, who is forever our social media, marketing and video genius, is doing what he always does, he is producing exceptional work that keeps our clients coming back for more.  And let’s not forget our amazing developers, writing and design staff, they create the base for all that we do!

So if I haven’t written a blog entry for awhile, it’s not because I don’t believe in the power of the written word because if you know me, that’s what I am all about..it’s because I am working hard to bring great success to our clients and working hard at making sure the Creative Concepts team are well managed and happy!

For anyone who is online often, we spend too much time splintered between our blog, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter and more depending on our interests.  I have believed for a long time that we are going to find a way to be, for the most part, in one spot online..one that takes care of all of our needs.  For me right now it’s Facebook but I also love friendfeed which takes all of my feeds and puts them in one place. 

There are countless others out there on Ning.com and beyond.  Which destination is your favorite?  And why?

Enjoy and know that these soldiers do so much for us!

Valorie Luther
Founder Creative Concepts