PerkettPR’s “Persuasive Women” Continues with Mari Smith

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PerkettPR is excited to share another captivating interview in our “Persuasive Women” series. This week we are featuring an interview with Mari Smith.
Mari is a passionate social media leader, specializing in relationship marketing and Facebook mastery. She is author of The New Relationship Marketing: How To Build A Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web and coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day. She travels the United States and internationally to deliver keynotes and lead training events. Fast Company describes Mari as “a veritable engine of personal branding, a relationship marketing whiz and the Pied Piper of the Online World.” Dun & Bradstreet Credibility named Mari one of the Top Ten Most Influential Small Business People on Twitter.  Connect with Mari at www.marismith.com.

You have quickly become the go-to expert on Facebook, but how do you handle the constant stream of questions and requests from your audience?
On my Facebook fan page, I do my best to reply to as many questions as I can. Then, periodically, I host a free webinar just to answer questions and add value. Plus, I implemented a strategy of identifying and incentivizing “superfans.” Those are the fellow professionals in my community who are knowledgeable about Facebook and who willingly and regularly jump in to answer questions on my page. I have a special tab with “MVP: Mari’s Valuable Peeps,” as well as using a really cool app called Bashooka. The app generates a leader board of fans based on the number of likes, comments and wall posts made. In exchange for helping to answer questions, I happily promote the services of these active fans.
On Twitter and Google+, I simply do my best to respond to as many questions as possible. Often, I’m not able to get to everyone and I think that most people see I’m doing my best to answer as many folks as possible in any given day. If someone doesn’t reach me on one network, they can always try to contact me through another social channel.
I do get inundated with Facebook tech support issues and am not able to respond to any of them. My assistants simply send a canned reply that directs these inquirers to possible sources of support online.

What key piece of advice would you offer a company who is having difficulty attracting people to their Facebook page?
To gain momentum with your Facebook page, you need a blend of quality content and regular engaging. Most businesses tend to put up a page, share great content, then wait for the stampede. But it never comes. There are two possible solutions: (1) focus on driving traffic to your fan page from inside Facebook, and/or (2) focus on driving traffic to your fan page from outside Facebook.
With #1, experiment with the best frequency of posts and types of updates. Also, check this blog post on how to increase the shares of your content: http://www.marismith.com/ways-craft-your-facebook-posts-for-maximum-shares/. Plus, if you have even a nominal budget, experiment with Facebook ads and sponsored stories.
With #2, promote your Facebook page literally everywhere! If you have an email list, periodically send an email broadcast specifically inviting your subscribers to join your fan page – consider offering them an incentive to do so (possibly with a “fan-gated” iFrame tab). Include your fan page URL in your email signature file, on your Twitter background and bio, on the back of your business cards and any other print materials. If you have a local business, consider signage in the window and at the reception desk, for example. If you’re a restaurant or bar, be sure to add your Facebook (and other social profile) full URLs with a call to action on your menus. Plus, for all local businesses, consider Facebook Deals and encourage your customers to check in on Facebook to claim the deals.
See this blog post for more ideas on increasing your Facebook page visibility: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/21-creative-ways-to-increase-your-facebook fanbase/

Is it a good idea for companies to hire interns to manage their social media efforts? Does where the company is in social media (just kicking off efforts vs. more established, etc.) impact the answer to this question?
There are many tasks interns can take on successfully and effectively. For example, following specific accounts on Twitter, finding quality content to source, monitoring the conversations about the business/brand, moderating comments on a blog or Facebook page, etc. Where I would recommend drawing the line, is to not allow interns to be the voice of your company (actually communicating via social profiles) unless and until they have been thoroughly trained on your company’s products, services, values and culture.

How much time do you spend on social media outlets each day? And how much of that time is devoted to Facebook vs. Twitter vs. LinkedIn vs. Google+, etc.?
Somewhere between 1-3 hours per day. The largest part of my time is spent identifying quality content to share with my networks, otherwise known as “curating.” I’m currently in process of training a new team member to take over this area for me. Otherwise, the remaining time is spent engaging – responding to mentions, comments, questions, etc. I never delegate my voice; any time you see me speaking in first person – I/me – it’s always me. On any given day, the breakdown of my social networking time is approximately 40% Facebook, 30% Twitter, 29% Google+ and 1% LinkedIn. I would love to do more with LinkedIn, but I just resonate with the other platforms more for now!

What is the minimal amount of time you feel someone whose job isn’t entirely devoted to social media should focus on SM efforts each day in order to be effective? And what should the top priorities be during that time?
I often advise those individuals who are just starting out with social media to dedicate an absolute minimum of 30 minutes per day. Break this into two 15 minute sessions; one early in the morning say 8:00 a.m. in your time zone and later in the day say 4:00 p.m.
During the first block of time, work through a pre-set checklist of tasks, e.g. go through your various sources of content, such as Facebook friend lists (which can include fan pages), Twitter lists, Google+ circles, your blog feed reader, Alltop.com, and others. Then, select a minimum of one piece of content to post on Facebook, one for Google+, and say three tweets for Twitter.
Then, later in the day, circle back to respond to any comments and @ mentions. That’s it.
Do this consistently five or six days a week (Saturdays are very active on social networks!), and you will soon begin to gain momentum, increase your following, and see higher click through rates.

If you had just one hour a day to focus on business, how would you spend that hour?
Hmm, this is an unrealistic scenario, but I’ll answer the question hypothetically! I would select the highest leverage activity that makes the best use of my time and talents, and yields the best revenue. Likely that would be speaking to a large audience–whether via an online webinar or an in-person event–and making an irresistible offer.

What is next for you?
Towards the end of each year, I choose a one-word theme that acts as a rudder for the entire following year. I’ve chosen my word for 2012 and it’s GROWTH. What’s next for me is serious growth — I will continue focusing on providing social media and relationship marketing training and consulting services… but at a whole new level. I will be expanding my team and expanding my reach. It’s an extremely exciting time for many leaders on the planet, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting 2012 for many years.

PerkettPR”s Interview Series – “Persuasive Women” features Alison Sansone

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Next up in our  “Persuasive Women” interview series is Alison Sansone. Alison is the creator of ‘Be There Bedtime Stories’, a webcam storytelling platform inspired by Alison’s own desire to connect with her two far-away toddler nieces and “be there” during the girls’  formative years.  Prior to the launch of this business, Alison was running her own video marketing business – specifically producing media for the web.  By partnering strategically with Reach Out and Read, Alison is working to raise awareness about the literacy benefits of reading to children each day.  Alison is not only connecting families and encouraging literacy, but is supporting our troops by allowing users to donate a Webtime Story to military families — these stories are distributed through our nonprofit partner, Blue Star Families, and provide an instant family connection and morale boost for soldiers.

Can you explain “webcam storytelling” and where the idea came from?

Be There Bedtime Stories is a website that combines a webcam with bedtime stories to deliver “Webtime Stories™”.  We position webcam-recorded video of a storyteller onto the page of a children’s e-book, so families far apart – such as grandparents, traveling parents, military parents or even aunts and uncles – can still ‘be there’ for this age-old storytelling tradition.

I came up with the idea because I don’t have children of my own and my only two nieces live 2000 miles away, in Chicago. It was really frustrating to not be recognized when I would visit and I wanted to be a part of those really neat memories that we all have from childhood – I wanted to make an impact on their lives. I was running my own video marketing production company at the time and, so, the idea of combining video media with something for kids kept making its way to the frontal lobe region of my brain and… wah-lah! Video bedtime stories appeared!

I like to think that families can build relationships and build readers through these read-aloud video recordings. We’re really proud to have Reach Out and Read as a strategic partner in raising awareness about the literacy benefits of simply reading aloud daily to a child. It can easily dispel the concerns of introducing digital media to kids.

Once you had the initial idea to start a business, how did you begin the process of actually getting the business up and running? Did you encounter any obstacles at this stage?

First thing I did was build a demo, to make sure that my 3- and 5-year-old nieces would actually dig the concept – they are the ultimate customer! This was the easiest part – can’t say I hit any obstacles here. Because of my background in video production, I was able to shoot video of my parents – their grandparents – reading a story, then edit it according to my vision of the product. They loved it! My father naturally paused on one page to count the hippos and they counted out loud with him. Then at the end of the story, my father made mention of a little inside joke before saying goodnight. Then, right on queue, my niece popped up from her pillow and bantered right back at her grandpa in the video. Both girls were glued to the screen and engaged, yet it was organically interactive despite the fact that it was a recording.

Beyond the demo, I’m a proponent of writing a business plan. The discipline of identifying market research and asking all the product questions before building gave me confidence in the concept and a foundation to stand on when pitching to investors or partners. I was fortunate to have an ace web designer join me in exchange for equity, but not having any other team members to help implement was my biggest obstacle at that point. The work-around was that I had a rockstar advisory team with diverse backgrounds, so I could harvest ideas and affirm certain strategies. Of course, lack of capital is always somewhat of an obstacle, but you just have to be patient with the pace of the build.

The first half of your career was in hospitality. How do you think this experience prepared you to become an entrepreneur?

It was more my corporate experience that has helped than the hospitality aspect. I’ve worked directly with executive level leadership throughout my career and have adopted important management skills as a result.

If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who is considering launching a new start up, what would that be?

Be patient and don’t forget to have fun! Okay, that’s two things, but the balance of those two is the trick. If you can have at least half the skill-set necessary to apply to the project, it will really help; but perhaps of more importance is being patient with what you don’t know. Otherwise, you’ll set unrealistic benchmarks and the frustration will overcrowd the fun. You can still be a learner and a leader at the same time. You’ll find that your passion can be contagious – I am amazed at some of the things people have done for me because I wasn’t afraid to recognize my limitations and ask for help.

Can you tell us a little bit about the types of books you promote on your site (feel free to promote any new ones here)?

Getting quality books in our bookstore is a full-time job in itself. The publishing industry has been completely turned upside down with the e-book revolution over the past 2-3 years, so this is where the patience comes into play, as they are slow to make decisions. I’m so grateful for the handful of smaller publishers that were instantly willing to offer their books for sale on an ‘experimental’ platform. Without Sylvan Dell, Lobster Press, Guardian Angel and Illumination Arts Publishing, I would not have made it this far. And one of my more recent publishers, Faux Paw Productions, offers puppets of the characters in their books, which is the perfect prop for video storytelling.

On the other hand, who doesn’t know of someone that has always wanted to write a children’s book? It’s a classic unfulfilled fantasy. Publishing a storybook in a digital medium is far easier than print, so the playing field has grown tenfold. We’ve had independent artists submit manuscripts from the very beginning and have roughly ten in-house titles in production or on the site, so far. It’s a fantastic bonus part of the business that I didn’t really consider in the plan.

I’m super thrilled about our newest in-house title, by Judy Rubin and Milla Zeltzer, because it happens to tell the story of our product! The title is “When Mama Reads to Me” and it’s about the spark inside a child’s imagination whenever any family member reads a story. It’s a must-read!

What motivates you?

Well, bonding with my little nieces was a mega motivation for me to get started; but the ongoing motivation is fueled by surrounding myself with creative and fun people that share a belief in the value my product brings. I suppose that would include the customers that keep returning because they’ve had the same experience in their family as mine!

What is your favorite book or author and why?

At the risk of sounding cliche, there’s far too many to name. I participate in a book club with a great group of women and run a business in the children’s realm, so you can imagine how difficult it is for me to name just one title.

Can you tell us a little bit about what is next for Be There Bedtime Stories and for yourself?

Most exciting is our tablet app coming out next month – for both the iPad or Android. The holidays are pretty much here, and our Military Family donation drive was a huge success during the holiday season last year – and we expect the same this year. Anyone can visit our website and donate a Webtime Story to our partners at Blue Star Families, so soldiers can connect with their kids while overseas. And, finally, we have an exciting joint campaign in the works for Boston Logan Airport and CBS Radio, which may serve as a pilot program for other airports across the nation.

PerkettPR’s Interview Series “Persuasive Women” – Shelli Johnson

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PerkettPR is pleased to continue our series of “Persuasive Women” interviews with Shelli Johnson, a life/leadership coach, consultant and entrepreneur who lives on the Frontier of Wyoming. Shelli shares her thoughts on living life to the fullest and how she pushes herself and others to take on new challenges and pursue new goals. We think you will truly enjoy and benefit from her motivational answers to our questions. Shelli spent 15 years building her first business, Yellowstone Journal Corporation/NationalParkTrips.com, before selling it in September 2008 to Active Interest Media (owner of Backpacker, Yoga Journal, & other magazines).

In addition to consulting and writing, Shelli is a life/leadership coach with the mission to help others create a life of meaning. Her coaching business, Epic Life, is unique in that it offers on-demand coaching throughout the year with an option to include an epic, outdoor adventure in an awe-inspiring place.

Shelli’s own blog is HaveMediaWillTravel.com. Topics include adventure, travel, family, leadership, etc.

Our Q&A:

You are a wife, mother, life coach, writer, consultant… and still find the time to embark on life-changing adventures (such as your backpacking adventure in Alaska). How do you fit it all in?

I make it all fit in. There’s a difference between a full life and a busy life. Mine is a full life.

To fit it all in, one has to know what’s important in her/his life and what isn’t. It sounds cliché, but every morning, I consider that today could be my last. None of us knows how much time we have left. (I have a 52-year-old girlfriend who died, suddenly, of an aneurysm a week ago Wednesday.)

If today will be my last, how will I live it? Ask this question, seriously, and you get to the heart of what’s important real fast. This type of thinking is a motivator that helps me fit all that is important into my day, and to not waste time on that which isn’t.

Speaking of important, my husband of 19 years, Jerry, and our three sons, are wonderful blessings and a huge support in my life. Without them, my life would not be full. They deserve a lot of credit for my life.

There are more practical reasons I am able to fit it all in. For one, I wake up and work out at 4 a.m. three times a week. After we had our first son, it was 6 a.m. After our second son, it was 5 a. m. After our third son, who is 4, it became 4 a.m. Waking this early works well for me. It “creates” time for me, energizes me, which causes me to be more productive during the day, and it provides a tremendous health benefit.

Second, I live by my calendar. I put a lot of emphasis on planning each month, and then I stick to the plan. If I set “rules,” I tend to honor them. Good planning means I can tackle one day at a time, focusing on the present – rather than worrying about the future. (This is no small thing for me, a predisposed worrier.)

Third, I live on the Frontier of Wyoming, which means my commute, if I choose to have one, is an 8-minute walk or a 2-minute drive. (My office is a 1973 RV parked by the river.) When you live in a small town, where everything is nearby, there’s not much time spent running errands or to appointments. So, I no doubt have more available time in my life because I live in a small town.

Fourth, inspired people tend to be more vital. Wyoming provides me not only with more time, but also more space. I love the expansiveness of my backyard, Wyoming’s Wind River Range. All of the things my family and I enjoy doing, and that most inspire me, are right here. Most days, I wake up inspired.

Finally, I say “no” a lot. When you get to be 43, and you’re a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, business owner and adventure-seeker, you have to say “no” more often, or suffer the consequences. Like I said, life is short.

As for fitting in epic adventures, I include a number of them in my life each year. These are not vacations. There’s nothing leisurely about them. They grow and inspire me. I become more as a result of them. And, interestingly, except for my recent NOLS Alaska Brooks Range backpacking adventure, these adventures are not costing me much in the way of time. For example, it cost me only one day (23 hours) to hike 44 miles, crossing the Grand Canyon and back, and another long day (20 hours) to hike 48 miles across Zion National Park. Yet what I gain from a single-day, epic adventure, is lasting.

I should mention that I don’t fit it all in, 365 days a year. Some days I fail miserably at doing so. The wheels come off; things happen that weren’t planned, or I am just tired, and I waste a day or three. But, hopefully, this is the exception, not the rule.

On your blog, you talk a lot about “route finding.” Can you explain this concept a bit further?

By “route finding,” I mean being at choice in life. We go through each day, week, month, year and decade with endless opportunities to choose how we want to live our life. Routes represent choices. In life, you arrive at forks in the road. You can take a common route or get off the trail and chart your own course. Route finding is a metaphor I can relate to because in the outdoors, I route find a lot. I often follow a trail, but I also like to go off-trail for purposes of exploring and to experience a different vantage. Sometimes one choice is harder, but the rewards are greater. Or, it could be that the hard way is just the right way. Or, sometimes it just makes practical sense to take the safe and easy way.

We make choices and we are, largely, the result of them. Our life is a story. The key is to have an active role in that story, and to actively choose and determine how your story plays out. Route finding refers to the choices we make along the way that impact our life. (Choices, by the way, also include choosing how to react when things don’t go as planned.)

In your adventures, you have pushed yourself to take the “high route” and push yourself more physically. What motivates you to continuously challenge yourself in this manner?

Family hikes, ski trips, trail runs and bike rides are physical pursuits that inspire me and keep me fit and healthy. These activities are fun and they fill me up, while creating wonderful family memories.

On the other hand, an adventure that pushes me physically, mentally and emotionally, and makes me uncomfortable much of the time, is what I call “epic.” Why do I do these epic adventures is a question I get asked a lot. There are moments during an epic adventure that take my breath away and fill me with overwhelming joy. This is why I’m drawn to natural, awe-inspiring settings in the first place. It’s a given that the views will take my breath away, and yes, that’s a big selling point for me when it comes to an epic adventure. But that is only the beginning.

There are also mentally challenging moments during an epic adventure when I want to quit, and in fact it would be easier to quit, and I may exclaim to myself, “Whose idea was this?” These are the times my saboteur shows up. And let me tell you, I can negotiate and argue with myself pretty effectively to continue – or to quit. I can make compelling arguments on both sides of the issue, but I only want the story to end in one way, and that is as a success. The whole experience causes you to discover and know yourself; there’s no hiding. The kind of pushing myself that is required of these epic adventures means I will have this opportunity to choose the hard thing, to beat down my saboteur(s), so to speak.

In my experience, the harder I work at something, the greater the reward. The view is always grander after hiking up a hill. And, chances are I’ve learned a great deal more in the process than had I stayed on the (safer, more predictable) trail, or on “lower ground.” So, the more physically challenging an adventure is, the bigger the pay off. No doubt, the accomplishment is part of the lure. The accomplishments mean something to me, and help me, in all areas of life when I lack courage or confidence.

There are also moments during these epic hikes when I’m emotionally tender. I am often moved to tears during the later stages of these adventures. The end, which typically amounts to more of a solitary march than a hike, sometimes during the dark of night, is very personal for me. About 95% of the personal growth I experience on an epic adventure happens during this last 5% of it. During this stage, I am humbled, and have the most clarity about what’s most important in my life. It makes for a great ending. This emotional part of the adventure, despite its difficulty, is one of the reasons I keep going back for more. It is what makes me more, and better than I was before.

Although building a business isn’t physical, it has similarities to an epic adventure. Building our first business, Yellowstone Journal Corporation/NationalParkTrips, over the course of 15 years was like climbing a mountain, complete with hard work, loose terrain, “false summits,” exposure, risks, uncertainty, disappointment, pain, re-routing, falls, storms and other difficult factors. But, ultimately, there were many rewards, which made it all worth it.

Whether it’s in my personal life or a business pursuit, it’s this combination of going further than I have gone before, and expanding all of my capabilities, that grows me, and makes me better. Why wouldn’t I make time for things that make me better? When at your best, you participate in your life more. It’s a lot of work, but as far as I can tell, the result is all upside.

As a goal-oriented person, how do you personally prioritize your goals?

It goes back to the first question. I really try to live like I’m dying. I spend a lot of time getting clear, and reminding myself of who and what are most important in my life. And then my first priority is honoring these people and things. They are at the top of my life. When I’m not honoring one of these, a sort of “service engine soon” alert goes off in me, causing concern (and insomnia).

My family comes first. My cell phone is shut down from Friday evening until early Monday morning. Weekends, especially, are for family, although we have ‘lots of family time and traditions built in during the week, as well. Other important relationships are also a priority, and I schedule time for them. For example, I have a standing date on Wednesday afternoon to have tea with my parents.

I just read a book where the authors interviewed 104 hospice patients. At the end of their lives, when asked what brought them the most joy and meaning, every single one of the patients answered: relationships. It wasn’t work or things they did. It was the people in their lives that mattered most. I think this is a good lesson for the rest of us, especially when it comes to prioritizing.

I still have work to do to create more time with family and friends. Then come all the other priorities, which include coaching calls, writing, marketing, consulting, meetings, reading/researching/learning, and the list goes on. Google calendar keeps it all organized for me.

Another tool I use for prioritizing is routine. I try to create good habits and then develop them into routine. Routine means not having to spend energy or self-control on making decisions throughout the day and week.

Finally, this may seem like an answer to a different question, but because it’s a priority it comes up for me. We each have one body. Why wouldn’t we want it to operate optimally. Eat right and exercise and you have more energy. Everything is better. If you value your life, taking care of your health has to be a top priority. For me, it’s non-negotiable.

Have you ever encountered someone or something that has gotten in the way of attaining a goal? How did you handle it?

Sure. Often. Usually it’s myself, or my own limiting beliefs, that get in the way. I am impatient. While at times this serves me, it also costs me. I often will not achieve a goal because I try to force the timing of it. Out of my impatience, I will fight the current instead of going with the flow. I’m sure I have worn people out with my impatience. Being more patient is a forever goal for me.

I have abandoned goals when success seems unlikely. I don’t like failure, but I sure value it. I also remind myself that I’m not saving lives. Because I’m so goal-oriented it’s easy for me to get consumed by a goal and lose perspective. I’m getting better at detecting this earlier and more often during the process of trying to achieve a goal, but it’s an ongoing effort.

You have traveled quite extensively, but what is your favorite spot to visit?

Oh, I can’t answer this. The question is unreasonable! Seriously, I am very lucky to be living in my favorite place, Wyoming’s Wind River Range. My favorite travel spot is probably a national park – probably Yellowstone. But asking someone to name their favorite national park is like asking them to say whom their favorite brother or sister is. I love each national park for its own reasons. My favorite national parks are Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon and Yosemite. For cities (and culture shock), I love San Francisco and New York City. For leisure? Hawaii. Oh Hawaii, how I love thee.

What is your favorite movie or book?

I love movies, but I don’t have a favorite. Reading, on the other hand, is one of my passions. I’m a voracious reader. It’s hard for me to choose a single favorite. But, some favorites that represent a cross section, are: The Solace of Open Spaces, by Gretel Ehrlich; Endurance, by Alfred Lansing; The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig; A Pearl in the Storm, by Tori Murden McClure; Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom; Good to Great, by Jim Collins; and Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell.

What is your next goal (what do you have planned next)? Could you tell us a little bit about your leadership coaching business?

My focus right now is developing my life/leadership coaching business,  Epic Life. The work I want to do is inspire people to live as if they’re dying, as if every day matters. I will be asking my clients to invest six months to a year with me to do the work and make the changes that are necessary to create a life of meaning.

As my client’s life coach I am their champion, but I am more than that. I remind, and hold my client accountable, to what their life purpose is and to what they say they want their life to be.

In 2005, I hired a life coach, and it had a tremendous impact on my life. Today, even with a full life, I continue to work with a life coach. Having a champion in my corner, cheering me, but also holding me accountable, is of great value.

As a life/leadership coach, I want the hard cases. I want clients who are willing to work hard, to make hard, positive change. I think life should take your breath away. We should strive for an epic life.  Epic Life’s core offering is unique in that it combines year-round coaching (scheduled monthly, or used “on demand”), with an epic adventure. The adventure will be a sunrise-to-sunset, unforgettable experience in an awe-inspiring location.

The epic adventure serves as a platform from which clients will grow and be able to practice for life’s hardships and challenges. Part of the unique proposition of Epic Life is “leveling up” my clients. I want to choose an adventure that my client isn’t certain he/she can do, but that I know he/she can do.

Finding an adventure that will inspire my client is the easy part. To be effective, the adventure needs to also test them physically, emotionally and mentally. For example, if I have a client from San Francisco who has not hiked more than six miles in a day in the Marin Headlands, I might select 10-mile and/or all-day hike at altitude for his/her epic adventure.

My clients will gain an unforgettable experience, a significant accomplishment (inc. “bragging rights”), inspiration, expanded leadership, more confidence, increased emotional range, a health benefit, and a greater mental toughness and resilience that will serve, and better prepare, them for life’s challenges and hardships.

If I do my job well, my client will return more, and better, than he/she was before the experience. (The website and fan page for the business is under development; for information, email Shelli.)

I’m also starting work on a dream project that involves producing and publishing and what I hope will be a work that facilitates a legacy of inspirational wisdom. It is still very much in development.

Shelli Johnson’s blog is HaveMediaWillTravel.com, which includes posts about travel, adventures, life and leadership, personal development, fitness, nutrition and more.

PerkettPR’s Interview Series “Persuasive Women” – Digital Mom, Audrey McClelland

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We are thrilled to continue our series of “Persuasive Women” interviews with top female influencers.  We recently caught up with Audrey McClelland of MomGenerations.com to ask her some questions about digital motherhood and her new book “The Digital Mom Handbook.”

Audrey is a busy mom of four young boys and a founder of the very popular website MomGenerations.com – a hip, online destination for moms, featuring daily fashion news for moms and kids, fabulous giveaways, smart family advice and the latest celebrity news.  Audrey also serves as the Beauty & Style Editor on Lifetime Moms and Fashion Editor on Blissfully Domestic. Audrey was named as one of “The Power Pack” Moms in Nielson’s Online 2009 Power Moms list.  Her “Mom Fashion Report” airs on The Pulse Network on Wednesdays at 1PM.  She’s also a contributor to the ever-popular Momversation.  She is a vlogger for Johnson & Johnson’s “Real Moms” Health Channel, one of Hanes’ Social Media Comfort Crew members, was a member of the Walmart Moms Social Media program, and she holds a position on Hasbro’s Playskool Panel. She’s also the spokesperson for Zulily.com.  Audrey also partners with Vera Sweeney on another endeavor, Getting Gorgeous Events.

 

You have made a career out of blogging and tweeting and you often refer to yourself as a “Digital Mom.” What exactly is your definition of a “Digital Mom”?

I define being a Digital Mom as a mom who is working /living/playing in the digital space. I have made my living from blogging, tweeting, shooting YouTube videos… the realm has always been digital. I feel that with the emergence of all of these social media tools – more and more moms are going to be calling themselves Digital Moms. Our life as a mom is digitalized.

In your new book “The Digital Mom Handbook,” you offer tips and advice to other aspiring work at home moms.  If people take just one thing away from this book, what do you hope it is?

I would hope the one take-away would be that the more you put into your blog/Twitter/Facebook/YouTube, the more you’re going to get out of it. I’m not saying you need to be working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… but I really feel the best kept secret is consistency. The more you put out there, the more you do… the better chances you have to grow and grow.

Have you ever had a “bad mommy moment” where you found yourself struggling with work and family life balance? How did you push through it?

OMG… all the time! LOL… just ask my husband!

I don’t know if there is anything as the perfect balance. My kids are too young to understand that what I do is for them.  They don’t understand deadlines or projects or business trips. So I’m consistently trying my best to conduct this balancing act of mom, wife, businesswoman, daughter, sister, etc. I do have one rule… when it’s dinnertime, everything is shut off.

If you could take your family on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would love to take my family to Hawaii! All of the boys – and even my parents and in-laws – so that my husband Matt and I could have a couple of nights out!

How do you disconnect from your work?

It’s funny… I’ve been trying to get better at this. I love reality TV… I’m not kidding, my life stops for Bravo! The Housewives are my girls. I love Rachel Zoe. She’s a fashion goddess in my home. I love disconnecting with a really great movie and/or a really great book.

What is your favorite tech gadget and why?

My iPhone. I know that it’s not the most creative answer, but my iPhone is my saving grace. My life is in that phone – emails, calendar, videos, photos, Twitter, Facebook, everything!

Was it tough making the move from New York City to Providence? What do you miss about NYC? What do you not miss?

Yes and no…

Yes, because I truly love – love – love the City. I know I’m one of those people that could have lived in NYC forever and never minded that at all. I miss the hustle and bustle. I miss that someone’s always up and something’s always going on.

But… I didn’t want to raise our family there. I knew I wanted to raise them in a small neighborhood, in a house with a driveway and backyard. I felt that was the best thing to do for them. And I don’t regret the decision one bit.

(Although, I do get to be in NYC almost every week, so it does balance out.)

Introducing PerkettPR’s New Interview Series – “Persuasive Women”

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PerkettPR is excited to present a new series of interviews entitled “Persuasive Women” – featuring women entrepreneurs whom we admire.  These influential females will share their thoughts on how they’ve built their businesses, give insights on the hurdles they have encountered, and highlight some exciting tidbits on what they have planned next.

The first “Persuasive Woman”  we are featuring in this series is none other than the fabulous and witty, Melanie Notkin, otherwise known as “SavvyAuntie.”  Melanie is the founder of SavvyAuntie.com, an online community for aunts (Aunties by Relation, Aunties by Choice, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and all women who love kids) and author of the best-selling book Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids.  Melanie has over 17,000 followers on Twitter and is known as one of the most powerful women in social media.  Her site is on the Forbes Top 100 Sites for Women list and Melanie’s column over at Huffington Post is both entertaining and thought provoking.

You can follow Melanie on Twitter (@savvyauntie), check out her site SavvyAuntie, or join in the fun on Facebook at Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie. We hope you enjoy this new series and please feel free to share your comments below.

You recently celebrated three years of SavvyAuntie.com.  Has it turned out to be what you expected? Is it what you envisioned many years ago?

Savvy Auntie has turned out even better than I expected. I had always envisioned Savvy Auntie to be a multiplatform media company, and with the addition of popular social media platforms, TV appearances, spokesperson gigs and a national best-selling book – that it is! But the journey I’ve been on is most wonderfully surprising. Finding potential I hadn’t realized until now has been the best reward.

A lot of us have ideas from time to time and many of us sit idle waiting to find the time to commit to the new project or idea. How did you push yourself to move forward with this concept?

I woke up one day in June 2007 and decided I was an entrepreneur. That morning I went to a class on how to write a business plan. It wasn’t the right class for me – but I was determined to do something that day to move forward. It was about momentum. I started to invest time and money in the business. And I never looked back. I knew if I did, my idea would turn into a statue of salt and I’d never move forward. You just have to keep going.

What was the biggest hurdle as you worked on growing the business?

I’m self-funded so what I earn goes back into growing the business. Bandwidth suffers from that but I felt if I took investment dollars, I’d be following someone else’s vision for my brand. That’s not why I became an entrepreneur.

Who was your biggest supporter?

Me.

If you could name one thing that truly made a difference in bringing your business to the next level, what was it?

Unconditional belief in myself and my business.

You recently published your first book which has become a best seller.  Will there be another book and if so, what can we expect?

I’m working on what that will be now! It’s very exciting. If it happens, it will be much more personal and closer to the voice I have in my Huffington Post column.

What TV or movie character are you most like?

If I had to pick one, I’d have to say Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City – but I have more faults, fewer shoes, and bigger ambitions.

If you could have dinner with one big celebrity, who would it be and why?

Jennifer Aniston. We’re the same age. No kids – and I think she handles the pressure about that extraordinarily well. I think we’d be friends… No point just having dinner if it can’t lead to Sunday brunch one day soon after.

What’s next for SavvyAuntie.com. Are there any new features to be added or new partnerships you would like our audience to know about?

Well, I just launched SMITTEN by Savvy Auntie: Deals Curated with Love by Melanie Notkin. It’s a partnership with Saveology so I can bring the Auntourage deals designed just for them and their lifestyle. https://www.saveology.com/offers/savvyauntie. There’s more to come but I can’t talk about it just yet. Needless to say, I’m thrilled and excited for what’s next.


photo credit: Ana Schechter

Talking Productivity with Robert Strohmeyer

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Robert StrohmeyerIn our fast-paced, often furious, line of work, we communicate with dozens upon dozens of people every week. Few stand out. Accomplished editor, reporter and blogger Robert Strohmeyer is one of the few. I decided to pick his brain on a topic that is a personal and professional challenge for me and many others – productivity. Read on for some wise insights and simply tremendous tips.

Q: Robert, as the author of PCWorld‘s Simply Business, a popular business productivity blog, you must have some keen insights on top productivity killers. Give us your take.

A: My biggest productivity killer is interruption. Moving my attention away from a task to deal with an interruption — whether it’s an incoming call, an IM, or an email — makes it difficult to pick up where I left off once I return to the task. I often find myself spending ten minutes or more just reviewing my train of thought before I can get back into a state of flow with the task. So for me, the central focus of my productivity system is the elimination of distractions. One of my favorite tools for this is the Pomodoro Technique, in which I turn off all possible distractions (close my inbox, turn off IM, ignore the phone) and set a timer for 25 minutes. I work single-mindedly on one thing for a solid 25 minutes, then give myself a 5 minute break to get coffee, check email, etc., before diving back in for another Pomodoro session.

My second biggest productivity killer is a failure to capture commitments. In general, if I capture a commitment in one of my inboxes the moment it arises, I can be sure that I’ll deal with it appropriately. But if I don’t capture it the moment it arises, there’s a good chance I’ll never deal with it at all. It might as well never have come up in the first place.

Q: What’s a day in the life like for you? On average how many emails do you get a day?

A: A little over a hundred emails a day make it past my spam filter. Of these, about 70% are press releases and general information. Of the remaining 30 or so, about half actually require some overt action or attention from me, while the rest are mostly threads on which others have included me for CYA purposes.

My work day is split between my primary responsibilities for researching and creating and/or editing content and skimming through various information sources (including the press releases and FYI emails that comprise 70% of my inbox) to spot possible new stories.

Q: What tools do you use to manage your inbox?

A: I’ve played with a lot of tools to manage my inbox, but in practice I rely on methodology rather than technology. My inbox is a Google Premier account, so I use some Gmail Labs add-ons (mostly super stars) to tag messages. The rest of my methodology is a combination of labeling and zero-inbox. Apart from these, I do like to use Nudgemail for messages that require my attention at a later time, so as to keep my inbox empty while not losing sight of pending tasks indefinitely. The problem with Nudgemail, I find, is that it acts like any other snooze button, and it’s all too easy to hit ‘snooze’ a few dozen times too many.

Q: What social networks do you utilize? Do you find story ideas this way?

A: I use Facebook and Twitter, and lately, Google+. I’ve discovered some interesting stories via Twitter, and I like it as a low-friction source of PR pitches and tips. In many ways, I prefer Twitter to e-mail, because it forces brevity where e-mail permits rambling. Most PR pitches are, in my opinion, way too long to be interesting, and I can recall a few instances where a given pitch failed to catch my eye via e-mail but managed to draw my interest in a <140-character tweet.

Facebook is good for polling peers and audiences, but I’ve never “discovered” a story there. It’s too chatty for that sort of thing.

Google+ looks like another Facebook, so far.

In general, social networks have limited value for me in story generation, because they promote a herding effect. If a story is trending on Twitter, chances are it’s also trending on news aggregators and in my e-mail inbox. So I still rely on old-fashioned brainstorming when I want to discover a story topic beyond what’s dominating the tech news world this week.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about how social media is impacting tech news and business? Your least favorite?

A: I think the best contribution social media has made to tech news and business is that it’s allowed (“forced,” some might say) what was once a fairly static, monolithic information culture to embrace pluralism by giving consumers and audiences a voice. This has arguably contributed to a more responsive media culture and a more responsive business culture. At the same time, the social media feedback loop between audiences/consumers and media/business can lead to another kind of information monoculture in which media and businesses strive to give consumers and audiences more of what they seem to want, which amplifies popular themes in a sort of fun-house mirror distortion of what people want. Eli Pariser talks about this at length in “The Filter Bubble,” and I think could prove to be one of the most pressing social problems of the information age.

Q: Do you ever black list PR people? What would push you to do that?

A: I’ve “blacklisted” two PR people in the last 15 years. Both cases involved daily (in one case, multiple times daily) emails and/or phone calls about topics that had nothing to do with my areas of interest. One of them was a guy who auto-sent me daily reminders, for weeks on end, to update my profile in his company’s database. No working member of the press has time for that kind of stuff. The other was a person who sent me multiple off-topic pitches daily, complete with lengthy voice messages–literally about miraculous skin creams and diet products. Just nonsense with no regard for who she was calling.

Q: What tips would you give to PR people that would make working with them easier?

A: Phones are dead. I almost never use them for business communication anymore. One email per week, per subject, per contact. If a reporter hasn’t responded to your first follow-up email, they’re not interested. Sending third email on the same subject is more likely to undermine the reporter’s perception of your next pitch than to generate interest in the current one. Whatever it says about the myth of unbiased journalism, all journalists are more responsive to pitches from PR people they like and respect than pitches from PR people they find annoying. I wouldn’t have taken the time to do this interview for a PR person I didn’t like.

Q: What is your take on managing “digital distractions”? As a professional? As a parent?

A: I think the best definition of “distractions” is a lot like my favorite definition of “weeds.” Weeds are just plants out of place. Likewise, distractions are just calls for attention at inopportune times. My preferred way to guard against distractions also bears some resemblance to my preferred way to guard against weeds: have a full, healthy garden. By proactively determining how I focus my attention throughout the day, I give myself permission to ignore inputs and calls for attention that are extraneous to a present task. I also allot time for seeking or accepting “random” inputs, as well as time for just plain screwing around.

Q: If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be doing now?

A: If I weren’t a journalist, I’d probably be a either a winemaker or an academic. I’m drawn to intricate processes that intersect the practical and the aesthetic. In college I was split between my first love of writing and a fascination with anthropology. I chose writing, and ended up drawn to tech, which is nothing if not an intricate intersection of the practical and the aesthetic.

Q: What is your #1 tip for busy people to achieve personal and professional productivity?

A: Know your purpose. That is, decide what you really want to accomplish, in ultimate terms, in whatever aspect of life you’re engaging, and determine subordinate goals and actions accordingly. I think it’s folly to pretend that “reducing human suffering” is a less worthy professional goal than “increasing shareholder value” or “maximizing revenue.” If you haven’t considered your ultimate purpose and settled on at least one grand mission that satisfies your greater self, you’ll never be able to confidently invest your full attention in any given task, no matter how small.

 

Interview with Steve Strauss

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Steve Strauss

We took a few minutes to sit down with one of our favorite journalists, Steve Strauss from USAToday.

Steve, who is often called “the country’s leading small business expert,” is a lawyer, author, and USATODAY.com columnist. His latest book is the Small Business Bible. Steve is also a speaker in high demand who has spoken around the world about entrepreneurship, including at the United Nations. He has been seen on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, The O’Reilly Factor, and many other shows.

What is the role of a media relations person for today’s journalist?

It is two-fold. Your job is to get your client’s name out there – and if you can help a journalist get their job done easier, then it’s a home run.

What kind of things are you looking for/writing about in the next few months?

I’m always looking for new angles around small business, something that is of general interest to a lot of small business people—something they don’t already know. A unique take or an innovative angle is always much appreciated.

How is the outlook for small business in this economy?

Everyone is past the survival mode they were in for the last two years and now they are figuring out how to grow.

What are your readers challenged by these days?

One issue that keeps coming up is how to manage social media. How much, how to make it pay off, how to make money doing it, etc.

How do you want to receive information?

I hate press releases. In fact, I occasionally give a speech that encourages people not to use a traditional press release. I like email – short, quick and snappy—from someone who knows who I am and what I am about. I’m frustrated by someone who just puts my name on a list. But, if someone knows my beat, that will really pique my interest and then I’m more likely to listen to their pitch. A short, snappy directed email works best for me.

Do you have an example of a good PR pitch?

A former journalist-turned-PR person sent me an inquiry that was just about getting to know what I wanted. No pitch, no client information. Just a basic “what can I do for you” note. That really resonated with me.

An example gone wrong?

Someone asked me to write a story, and I said yes. They provided me with the information and it sat there for a while. I just got busy. I let her know I’d write the story, I just didn’t know when. She wouldn’t stop. I understand follow up, we all have to do it. But there is a line you can’t cross. I wrote the story but I asked her not to contact me anymore.

Raleigh’s Social Media and Tech Community share 2011 Predictions at TIMA Summit Party

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Last Thursday night I attended the TIMA Summit Party – the only afterparty for the Third Annual Internet Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina. Quickly becoming one of the largest internet conferences on the East Coast, the Internet Summit was a near sellout this year with an estimated 1500 attendees!

Bringing together Internet executives, senior marketers, entrepreneurs and investors, this years speakers represented companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Yahoo!, Go Daddy, AutoTrader.com, and more. Speakers presented on topics ranging from Social Media, to Mobile, Online Video, Cloud Computing, Real-time, Analytics, Online Advertising, and E-commerce.

The TIMA Summit Party was also a huge success! Hosted by TIMA and co-sponsored by DesignBox – who provided the awesome venue – and MediaTwo Interactive, some have said this year’s party was one of the best events tied to the Tech/Social Media community of Raleigh.

The following video offers a small taste of how great the event was and features a few of the party attendees sharing their predictions for 2011. What do you think will be the hot trends for 2011? What do you think about some of the predictions shared in this video? Share your response in the comments section below – and thanks for watching!

Claire Russell and Wayne Sutton at IMS10 – Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA – Part 2

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In Part II of my interview with Wayne Sutton, we talk all things geolocation and location based services. A self-proclaimed location based services “geek”, Wayne is the Business Development/Marketing Strategist for TriOut, a location-based services application developed to help individuals explore the Triangle area and discover its cultural treasures.

During this interview, Wayne shares great insight on the location based services market landscape, how it works and what it means for consumers. And, most importantly, what retailers and brands need to think about when considering a location-based campaign as part of their marketing strategy.

Marketers – considering geolocation or location-based services as part of your future marketing campaigns? Which services are you reviewing and why? How will location tie into your online and offline initiatives? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Claire Russell Interviews Wayne Sutton at IMS10, Part 1

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Last month I attended and presented at the Inbound Marketing Summit 2010 in Foxboro, MA. It was great to be back in Boston, catching up with friends and colleagues. But a true highlight of my visit, ironically (since we live in the same area), was finally getting the opportunity to catch up with Wayne Sutton – or SocialWayne as he’s known here in ‘The Triangle’ of North Carolina.

For those that may not know Wayne, he holds nearly 10 years of experience in technology and social media. He is the Business Development/Marketing Strategist for TriOut, a location-based services application developed to help individuals explore the Triangle area and discover its cultural treasures. Wayne is also a consultant, helping start-ups and established businesses succeed in understanding how to best communicate their brand strategy through social media, as well as location-based services.

In this first of a two-part series, Wayne shares three tips for new entrepreneurs thinking about launching in today’s market:

  • Hire good people you can trust
  • Build a revenue model that adds value and solves a problem
  • Try not to spend or take money if you don’t need it

He also gives his take on the Raleigh tech/social media scene.

I hope you enjoy the interview  – our Part II interview will feature Wayne talking about the impact of location-based services on corporate marketing strategies. What should marketers be thinking about as they plan their 2011 Marketing budgets? We’d love to get your thoughts/advice.