On January 12, 2010, Google published a post with the austere headline, “A New Approach to China.” One could make an argument that the China decision was one of the three biggest in Google’s history up there with the acquisition of Android and Larry Page replacing Eric Schmidt as CEO. And they communicated the China …more
I’m a big believer in learning directly from the source. Want to get in shape? Look at how professional trainers do it. Trying to figure out the mechanics of parody? Study the lyrics from Weird Al Yankovic (“Tacky” sang to Pharrell’s “Happy” is a good start). So when it comes to optimizing a website for …more
As our communication campaigns increasingly address SEO and particularly organic search, thought leadership becomes even more important. Here’s what I mean and why it’s important to put yourself out there. When it comes to organic search, Google and other search engines place a premium on backlinks. They interpret backlinks as “votes” for the content. Of …more
I’ve been told that documenting New Year’s Resolutions increases the likelihood that they will happen. Consider this a test for business storytelling that we’ll revisit in December. Here’s what I’m hoping to change and improve upon in the coming year: Bulldoze the “Look and Feel” of the Blog: Friends, family members and complete strangers have …more
Everyone knows that compelling content – storytelling with a point of view – brings readers to a blog. Everyone knows that applying search engine optimization (SEO) expands readership for a blog. But no one talks about patience. I suppose patience isn’t very glamorous. Our society gravitates toward instant gratification and speed. Usain Bolt has become …more
Corporate marketing and PR types pay attention to the business section in USA Today. How else do you explain the questions coming our way on whether corporate blogging is worth the effort that started when USA Today published “More companies quit blogging, go with Facebook instead”? First off, this story has nothing to do with …more
I find these grab-bag posts work as a way to share information and thoughts that individually aren’t rich enough to justify a standalone post. Three quick vignettes: Corporate Blogging: Not a Field of Dreams Between our corporate blogging workshops and consulting on the topic, we find this visual makes a good springboard into discussions. USA …more
USA Today published a story on corporate blogging last week. The journalist asked us for input. One of our comments made the actual article. So far, so good. It’s not every day a communications consultancy makes the USA Today Money section (albeit below the fold). We’re doing more work in the area of corporate blogging …more
I said I would experiment in 2011, and experiment I did. Most experiments involved exploring media-like qualities like books reviews, interviews and reverse-engineering storytelling in the media. I think it’s fair to say these types of posts added a touch of panache to this corner. I also learned that crafting a proper Q&A from a …more
