Seek out Real Relationships in Life and Beware of How You Present Yourself to the World in Social Media
Credit: "The Atlantic"
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to the graduating class at Thomas College, which is where I earned my MBA in 1994.
I told the graduates that the good news is that they may be earning their diplomas but the bad news is that the learning cannot stop.
Technology is changing at such a pace that they need to use their education to continue to learn every day. I’ve encouraged my employees to keep pace with changing technology in communications so we can use the most up-to-date techniques and tactics for our clients.
I also referred to an article in the current edition of “The Atlantic” magazine called “Is Facebook Making us Lonely?” by Stephen Marche that talks about how social media is replacing real relationships between people.
Many people have lots of “friends” in social networks but in all reality they are extremely lonely. This is very sad to me.
I encouraged the grads to know the difference between a Facebook friend and a ‘real’ friend who you know and trust. My mantra has been and will always be that social media should supplement real relationships, not replace them.
Credit: "The Atlantic"
Finally, I encouraged the grads to be mindful of their online profile as they go out and look for a job. I asked them to Google themselves and see what comes up.
I related the story of a grad from another college who wanted to work for NMC a couple years ago and he was sure he was the ideal candidate. But when I pulled up his profile on Facebook, there were photos of him getting drunk and acting in a way that I would consider to be unprofessional.
I said that presenting yourself to the world in this way is not the best route to get a professional position.
Thanks to Bob Moore, the director of advancement at Thomas, for asking me to share my thoughts with this year’s graduates.
I hope that my words had an impact on the students and helped them realize that the way you ‘package’ yourself for a professional career will influence your job search significantly, and that social media should enhance their real relationships (it’s “social” for a reason).
Add Enthusiasm and Passion to Generate Powerful Marketing Campaigns
When Angus King was governor of Maine, he told me that he thought he and I were among the most enthusiastic residents of the state.
He said, “You don’t have to be the smartest person, but if you are the most enthusiastic person, it will carry you a long way.”
Hmm…now that I think of it, I am not sure that was such a compliment since he might have meant I had more enthusiasm than intelligence. But knowing Angus, I think he meant that he valued my sense of enthusiasm about public relations and marketing.
I am currently reading a new book by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer called “Excuses Begone!” about how to hyper-charge your life to give it meaning and fulfillment. Dyer describes passion as the secret sauce, which, when added to your work, can take ordinary projects and turn them into fabulously successful projects.
He’s not talking about the kind of passion you feel when you fall in love for the first time, although I believe the same chemistry may be involved. He’s talking about connecting deeply and intensely with the people, the purpose and the messages you are communicating. It’s like falling in love with your work and infusing it with the same kind of adulation you feel for the people you love most in this world.
I’ve always felt that enthusiasm and passion are necessary for success in any marketing campaign or program.
For example, if you’re pitching a story to a journalist, you have to tell it in such a compelling way that he or she will want to retell it to their audience.
If you’re creating an ad or a brochure for a client, you need to embrace the essence of what you’re communicating to make sure it connects in a laser-like way with the intended audience.
My Mother Told Me to be Careful About What I Write Down on Paper
When I was in elementary school, my mother used to always tell me not to write anything down on paper that I wouldn’t want the whole world to see. That was back in the day when we would be writing notes to other kids and passing them through the grapevine during class. (We were so naughty!)
The same thing applies on the social Web. You shouldn’t post anything or write anything on a social network that you wouldn’t want the world to see.
Your personal brand is your professional brand and vise versa. Anyone who thinks there is some kind of separation is sadly mistaken.
It is quite likely that if you are applying for a job, the prospective employer will look at your Facebook profile even if you’re not friends.
About a year ago, a young man contacted me repeatedly, insisting he was perfect as a candidate to work for Nancy Marshall Communications. I looked him up on Facebook and there, I found a whole slew of photographs showing how social a person he was.
The photos showed him drinking copious amounts of Budweiser and playing beer pong. It showed him in many states of drunkenness, partying in all sorts of venues, proving that he was not only social, but he was worldly, too!
His friends had commented on his posts about how hysterical he was after pounding so many beers while simultaneously bouncing a ping pong ball, so he was athletic as well!
I enjoy a good party as much as most people, if not more, but when you are trying to establish yourself in the world, you can’t assume you can paint one picture of yourself on Facebook and another picture of yourself on LinkedIn, and only your friends will find you on the former and professional contacts will find you on the latter!
So, remember what my wise mother said and don’t post anything on social networks that you wouldn’t want the whole world to see.
MPBN’s Rooks Discusses the Difference Between Hosting and Reporting
Today’s Maine Maven is MPBN on-air personality Jennifer Rooks. Jennifer joined MPBN in June of 2007 after spending more than13 years at WCSH-TV in Portland and its sister station, WLBZ-TV in Bangor, where she worked as a general assignment reporter and weekend news anchor.
Since 1994, Jennifer has covered a broad number of Maine issues in every corner of the state.
She has twice won an Edward R. Murrow award: In 1998, for coverage of Maine National Guard and Reserve soldiers deployed in Bosnia and Hungary, and in 2003, for the documentary “Citizen King,” about independent Governor (and former Maine Watch host) Angus King.
Jennifer grew up outside Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, and her master’s in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley.
Jennifer worked at television stations in San Francisco and Monterey, California, before coming to Maine. She and her husband Mike have two children.
1.) Jennifer, you have been an on-air television personality on a network station, WCSH, and on a PBS station, MPBN. What are the differences between the topics you cover?
At MPBN, I host Maine Watch – a half-hour public affairs program. I focus much less on the breaking news each day than I did at WCSH, and much more on the broader issues affecting the state.
For example, last week, we focused the entire Maine Watch program on the idea of creating an East-West highway in Maine.
If I were reporting daily news, I would have covered the topic differently… I might have attended the public hearing about the East-West highway bill and produced a 2-minute story for the 6:00 news.
Another obvious difference is that I no longer stand outside in cruddy weather for StormCenter! ;-)
NMC Account Exec Returns to the Mic for Social Media Boot Camp Ads
Nancy Marshall Communications will be hosting another Social Media Boot Camp on April 4 in Augusta. We have used an array of advertising tactics, from news releases and Facebook events, to building a microsite specifically for the interactive workshops.
When it was time to produce a commercial for local radio stations, we didn’t have to look far; NMC Account Executive Greg Glynn is used to being behind the mic.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Quinnipiac University in 2004, Greg was the radio voice for the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League for five years.
When NMC began advertising the boot camp, Greg was happy to dust off the mic and record our radio spot.
Click below to listen to the new Social Media Boot Camp ad!
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If you’re curious if Greg is still involved in sports broadcasting, the answer is yes.
Earlier this month, Greg called the Maine High School Hockey Championships for DVM Sports.
Click here to watch the highlight video!
Maine Native Explores Evolving Social Media Landscape Personally and Professionally
NMC is happy to feature our own Account Coordinator Whitney Moreau as today’s Maine Maven. Whitney has been working at NMC since April 2011.
She is responsible for the administration of integrated strategic marketing and communications campaigns for clients, including strategic planning, copywriting, press release distribution, web copywriting and the execution of social media strategies.
Whitney graduated from Thomas College with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management and a Master in Business Administration.
1.) Whitney, you grew up in the era of social media. At what age did you start to use social media?
I remember hearing about Facebook my freshman year of college when I was eighteen. Since I was born and raised an Oakland, Maine but studying at Endicott College in Massachusetts, I began using the social media platform to network with other out-of-state classmates. This is really when I started adapting social media and becoming engaged.
If someone had told me in 2005 where we’d be with Facebook or other social media websites today, I probably would have been skeptical.
Continue reading
Monday Maine Maven: Lisa Gardner of Jobs for Maine’s Graduates
Happy Monday! NMC is happy to have Lisa Gardner, communications manager of Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, as today’s Maine Maven. Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, commonly known as JMG, is a statewide nonprofit that partners with businesses and legislators, community organizations and leaders, and parents and teachers, to prepare Maine students to graduate from high school ready to succeed in college, the workforce, and their communities.
JMG serves more than 4,000 students from grades 6-12, in 59 schools throughout Maine. Students in JMG’s programs are full of potential, but face challenges at home and/or at school.
It’s JMG’s job to help unleash that potential and give students the opportunity to explore who they are, to set goals for their education and careers, and develop a plan to meet those goals. JMG teaches a hands-on, interactive curriculum that focuses on career development and community service, job attainment and job survival, leadership and team building, and communication and time management.
NMC Presents: Social Media Boot Camp, Tuesday, Oct. 25!
In my line of work, my colleagues and I have to stay on top of the latest trends in marketing and PR. One tool that is proving increasingly more important is social media. While I make sure that my employees and I are up to date on the latest technologies, I run into far too many other business owners who aren’t sure how to use social media or don’t use it to its full capacity.
For this reason, I am very excited to share that the Greater Franklin Development Corporation and NMC have decided to partner up and show other Maine businesses and organizations that not only is social media multi-faceted, but that anyone can and should use it!
Tuesday, Oct. 25, several of my staff members and I will be presenting a social media boot camp at the Carrabassett Valley Public Library from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
This interactive workshop will focus on techniques to increase engagement and the use of paid online advertising to promote products and services through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. We will also be discussing the rise of mobile marketing and location-based media. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop, but laptops can be provided (please specify if you need one when you register).
To qualify for this workshop, we ask that participants are able to answer yes to the following questions:
- Do you have a personal Facebook profile already set up?
- Do you have a LinkedIn profile set up?
- Do you have a Twitter account set up?
- Are you familiar with Facebook advertising?
- Are you familiar with Cost per Click advertising?
Cost to participate is $150.00 (includes materials and computer use).
For more information and to register, please contact Shelby Childs at schilds@greaterfranklin.com or call (207) 778-5887.
I hope to see you there!
Friday Fab Foto: New Staff at NMC
Our first Friday Fab Foto is of the three new additions to the NMC team: Whitney Moreau, Matt Rideout, and Nikki Busmanis. Whitney is an account coordinator, Matt an interactive marketing manager, and Nikki the executive assistant. One of the most gratifying aspects of my job as founder of my agency is to hire younger people and see them flourish in their careers. Two of my employees, Matt and Greg, have recently bought homes in Augusta. It’s extremely rewarding to see actual economic development happening because of the growth of the business. Our fab intern, Emily Deane, took this photo outside our office earlier this week.
What I Learned about PR from Chip Carey
There’s an article in the new issue of ”Mountain News” by ski writer Roger Leo about Chip Carey, who recently was hired to head up Marketing at Jackson Hole Resort in Wyoming. I had the privilege of working for Chip at Sugarloaf in the Communications Department from 1984 to1991, then when I started my agency, he was my client for most of the 1990′s.
There is no question that Chip is a great PR man. As Roger Leo writes in the article, he has always been ahead of the curve on technology and he considers that “the medium is the message.” He bought one of the first fax machines in 1971 and he was responsible for creating the first website in the ski industry in the 1980s. He also started the closed circuit cable TV station that is still broadcasting at Sugarloaf and has grown into the Resort Sports Network which is now a national broadcasting and marketing company. Continue reading
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