By Gina F. Rubel
As professionals, we are constantly learning and growing –
and reading. We read a lot, and we love to share with one another articles that
have caught our eye.
Here is another roundup of interesting articles that we
thought our readers might enjoy.
On leadership and
management
A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on two
criteria when they first meet you. In her new book, “Presence,” Amy Cuddy says
people quickly judge
you based on whether they think they can trust you and whether they can respect
you.
On social media and
the internet
You may not be a fan of Snapchat, but a new generation of
professionals is on it every day. Bloomberg reported that 10
billion videos now are viewed daily on the app that is in direct
competition with Facebook which continues to enhance its video
capabilities.
LinkedIn membership is on the rise, says Venturebeat.com, as
is its revenue. Up to 433
million users and $861 million in revenue, LinkedIn remains a strong social
media tool for business professionals.
SEO is an industry term that, for millennial marketers, is
something that has been engrained in them. But for many, every solicitous email
that says they can get your company on the first page of Google, cause the
older generation of business owners to wonder, “can they?” The short answer is
that SEO no longer works that way without a major investment in advertising
dollars. However, there are things companies can do to search engine optimize
their online content to rank better organically. Search Engine Watch recently
published an article, How
to write meta descriptions for SEO (with good and bad examples). If you’re
sharing content on websites and blogs, this is a must read.
On litigation, legal
marketing and the law
New Jersey lawyers beware: Attorney advertising containing “Super
Lawyers,” “Best Lawyers” and similar designations must include the source of
the declaration and an explanation of how the publication it arrived at that
determination. When a title contains a superlative such as "super" or
"best," the advertising
can say the lawyer was included in that list but can't suggest that the
attorney actually boasts that attribute.
On public relations, crisis
communications and the media
In many respects, public relations and marketing are one and
the same. There
are granular differences, but at the end of the day, it’s all integrated.
When a company issues a press release (PR), they first write it with search
engine optimization (SEO) in mind (marketing), then they add it to their
website (marketing) and share it via social media (PR and marketing), include
it in their company newsletters (marketing), add the information to social
media profiles (PR and marketing), and so on.
In addition to marketing and public relations, all companies
must know how to handle a crisis. There are many ways to deal with a crisis but
the best way is to have a plan in place before a crisis hits. Crisis planning
requires a great deal of thought and investment, but like insurance, it’s well
worth it. Forbes
Communications Council interviewed six executives who share their tips for
managing a crisis.
On marketing,
branding and graphic design
Colors, colors and more colors. There are endless variations
of colors. When considering a branding, rebranding, or brand refresh, color
must play into the decisions just as much as font and imagery. Entrepreneur
magazine talks about what
the color of your logo says about your company. We caution you to take this
article with a grain of salt, as reaction to color is dependent on many factors
including age, gender, socioeconomic background, culture, life experience, etc.
What have you read lately that has helped you do business
better? We’d love to hear about it. Share in the comments.
